


Knowing

by divakat



Series: Knowing [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Anal Sex, Belly Kink, Kink, Light Bondage, M/M, Mpreg, Oral Sex, Rimming, Romance, Slash, graphic birth, post-Baltimore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-10
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-22 03:26:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 130,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3713086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divakat/pseuds/divakat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an odd turn of events, Gibbs finds himself unexpectedly pregnant after his first meeting with Tony on the case in Baltimore. What will Tony's reaction be when he finds out and how will the two of them manage this crazy change in the course of their lives just as Tony is starting his work at NCIS? The journey holds more surprises than either of them could have imagined. </p>
<p>Contains slash and Mpreg. If you like Mpreg, I have been told that you will love this fic. Just sayin'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Knowing

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is cross-posted from Fanfic.net. It is a complete work and I will be uploading chapters here as frequently as I can, possibly a few at a time. There are 35 chapters in all. This fic began as a fic request from a reader and my brain ran away with it and fell in love with the romance between the two characters on their journey. I was in the closet as the author of this for a very long time but given the recognition and praise it has received, seems it is time to come clean (or dirty, in this case). 
> 
>  
> 
> Additional quick note. Two people have messaged me on ff.net, concerned that someone was pirating this work over here. Thank you for the concern. I assure you, I am the same author. I just use about 4 different pen names. 
> 
> Winner of the 2015 NCIS fan award for Fave Kink fic. 
> 
> Thank you for reading.

 

**February**

**11 weeks**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, former US Marine sniper and most competent and feared Agent NCIS had ever known stared down at the contents of his slightly trembling fist in absolute and utter consternation.

He looked at the instructions again. He really hadn’t read them that closely but it didn’t seem like an overly complicated process. There was a stick, you pissed on the end of it, you got a result. How hard could that possibly be?

But he had to be reading it wrong, HAD to. Then again, how in the hell did you argue with a little blue plus sign?

Gibbs set the test on the countertop and sat down on the toilet, a little afraid his knees were going to buckle from shock. He’d know. In his GUT, he’d known. But that didn’t mean he had been prepared.

It had started a month or so ago with the coffee. The first time he’d noticed that his morning brew tasted a little off, he’d chalked it up to the vendor changing beans and bolted it back without a second thought. A week later just the smell of it had brought on a powerful wave of nausea that he’d attributed to skipping his usual Danish, but every day after seemed to be a repeat. Coffee suddenly equaled the nearly overpowering urge to violently empty his stomach and he had been reduced to staring longingly at the lidded container on his desk while his belly churned and his head pounded. It was only by sheer force of stubborn will that he hadn’t actually gotten sick but for weeks he’d lived with a near constant state of vague nausea that only abated on a full stomach.

That in combination with his sudden and absolute intolerance for his favorite Bourbon should have been enough to clue him in, but his life was like his vision and he was far sighted, unable to see clearly those things which were right in front of his face.

Suspecting that his bad eating habits, sleeping habits, and years of liver abuse were finally catching up to him in his old age, he became more careful about what he ate, traded in his nightly love affair with colored liquor for the occasional beer and found that if he had a good solid breakfast before leaving the house, his belly wasn’t nearly so touchy. He still couldn’t do coffee on an empty stomach and just looking at the untouched bottle in his basement made him queasy but after a few weeks, the daily feelings of nausea had passed and he felt like himself again with the exception of being a little more tired than usual

Attributing his fatigue to his advancing years and heavy work load, he’d gone on with business as usual until this morning when he had noticed the undeniable swelling in his lower abdomen, the swelling which was definitely _not_ an acquired layer of fat but rather hard muscle bowing outward, and had just known. He was a trained investigator and even he could no longer deny the evidence when it was right there in the mirror bulging out at him. That being said, he’d still gone out to buy the pregnancy test just to prove to himself that he wasn’t insane.

Of course he hadn’t been wrong but the reality of it left him awash in a swirling eddy of conflicting emotion.

He was too old for this.

In his head he knew that wasn’t true. Men typically stayed fertile well into their 50’s and most could have perfectly healthy pregnancies in their late 40’s. But it couldn’t be happening to him.

Except that it was.

That kid.

That damn kid in Baltimore. The one he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of. The one who had fascinated him beyond all rational explanation. The one who was currently riding a desk across the bullpen from him every day at his own invitation.

He’d always been so careful. Really there’d only been a handful of times with other men and even then he wasn’t usually on the receiving end. But there had been something about Tony that made him _crave,_ made him _want_ in ways he’d never experienced before.

And he’d fucked up.

He reached down and probed his taut belly, still firm at age 42. Unfortunately it was the new firmness, the little bump just above his pubic bone that kept drawing his fingers back.

Doing a little math, he realized he was very close to three months gone already and that the almost unnoticeable swell of his pregnancy shouldn’t be surprising. He took a breath and forced his stomach out, trying to imagine himself big and round and pregnant but the reality of it was still a little fuzzy.

What he knew was that the moment the possibility had even occurred to him, the second the little blue plus sign had begun to materialize in front of his eyes, he’d felt a glimmer of something inside of himself that had been absent so long in his life he almost didn’t recognize it.

He felt hope.

And along with hope came the inevitable gnawing edge of fear. But ultimately, mistake or not, unplanned as it was, Jethro realized he was undeniably happy about this world altering development in his life and felt an instant surge of protectiveness for the life now growing inside of him.

He didn’t want to try to wrap his head around the myriad of ramifications his condition was going to have on his life, not just now. He looked down at his stomach in disbelief and wrapped both arms around it lovingly, letting the smile that had been playing at the corners of his mouth finally take hold as he began to laugh.

“Hey in there,” he said tenderly to his little bump as he rubbed circles across his skin. “Aren’t you a surprise?” He knew he was going to have to make an appointment to be seen to make sure that everything was normal and that the baby- _oh God, his baby-_ washealthy and he promised himself to do it as soon as possible despite his dislike for most doctors. “You just stay happy in there for the next six months, okay? I’ll figure out the rest.”

Still feeling a little shaky, he pushed himself up and walked out of the bathroom, blinking as he looked around his living room like he was seeing it for the first time. He took a deep breath. “I’m havin’ a baby,” he said out loud to the emptiness of the house, needing it to be heard, needing the reality of those words. “I’m havin’ a baby,” he whispered to the emptiness inside, letting the words fill and swell the barren places in his heart.

* * *

 

Newly minted Probationary NCIS Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. gazed across the bullpen at the empty desks. It wasn’t like Gibbs to run late. Not that he was late, exactly. He just wasn’t his usual hour and a half early.

He’d questioned the knowing and sympathetic looks he’d gotten from other agents as soon as he’d been shown to his desk across from Gibbs’. It hadn’t taken long to learn that Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs had a way of running through seasoned as well as probationary agents faster than new ones could be found to replace them. This explained the currently barren desks that occupied the other space in his immediate area.

 Turned out his new boss had a bit of a reputation for being hard to work for. At least this status was balanced by the immense respect everyone he encountered seemed to have for Gibbs’ abilities as an agent. Tony was the newest in a long string of probies for Gibbs but he was happy to learn that he was the first one who had been handpicked by the man himself.

The current agent pool had him at 3-1 odds of making it six months which he was assured were much better odds than any agent before him had been given.

He wondered what his co-workers would say if they knew his apparent fear of his new boss was mostly on the surface. That he’d seen a side of Gibbs they could never even imagine. He wondered how they would look at him if they knew he’d spent the most erotic weekend of his life with the salt and pepper tyrant of NCIS, had seen him fucked out and sated atop crisp white sheets and lost himself countless times to the pounding of the older man’s hips against his ass.

But he would have to keep wondering. He had as much invested in keeping that particular part of their relationship a secret as Gibbs did and he understood the impact it would have on his fragile new career if it ever came out that they had been lovers, even for that brief time. As far as both he and Jethro were concerned it was regrettably in their past. It didn’t stop Tony from remembering it fondly or imagining Gibbs naked at extremely inopportune moments, but for good or ill it was over and his lips were sealed.

“Grab your gear.”

Tony’s head came up from the weighty volume of procedures he was trying desperately to focus on.

“Boss?” he questioned.

“DiNozzo, when I say ‘Grab your gear,’ ya just do it. Don’t ask questions,” Gibbs said with as much patience as he could muster.

“On it, Boss.” He wasn’t sure where the phrase came from, but it seemed fitting and it seemed to pacify Gibbs as he tossed his bag over his shoulder.

“That’s more like it.”

Jethro had been half-glad for the call about a Naval Lieutenant killed in what looked like a bar fight off base the previous night. His body had been found in an alley in the District and he and DiNozzo were needed at the scene. He wasn’t happy about the dead officer but at least it gave him something to distract his brain for a little while he figured out what to do about Tony. His new probie and the father of his unborn child was the most difficult part of the whole equation as far as he was concerned.

Tony was glad to be getting away from a desk. He’d always been better in the field but with all of his FLETC training courses and the seemingly unending pile of NCIS procedural manuals to memorize, he’d had few chances to do any actual work and his brain was on already on overload. He’d thought that being a cop would set him ahead of the game at FLETC but half the trainees in his classes were cops, good ones at that, and he’d had to unlearn more bad habits than he was prepared to admit to.

Gibbs filled Tony in on the details he knew as they drove.

“Ducky on his way too?” It had taken Tony a little while to get used to using the name and yet “Doctor” and “Mallard” had just felt plain awkward when he’s tried to apply them.

“Following in the van.”

“Skip breakfast this morning, Gibbs?” Tony asked as he watched his boss rub idly at the bottom of his stomach while they drove.

“What? No.”

“Sorry. It’s just, saw this,” he imitated the motion,” and thought you might be hungry. I know I could use some grub.”

“Breakfast on your own time, DiNozzo.”

“Got it.” Tony added it to the seemingly exhaustive list of things he had to know to survive Gibbs.

Jethro made a mental note to try and keep his hands off his belly. It was just now that he _knew_ , a part of his brain was constantly focused on the child inside, hyper aware that his gut was sticking out a few centimeters more than usual.

As they pulled up to the scene, the milling crowd of gawkers being held at bay by the Metro PD parted obligingly. Flashing their badges, they saw that Ducky and the van had actually arrived ahead of them and the medical examiner was waiting for the scene to be cleared before he moved in to process the body.

“You waiting for an invitation, DiNozzo? Or do I need to coach you through crime scene processing too?” Gibbs pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and slipped them on.

“I, uh, think I got this one, Boss.” He pulled the camera bag from the back of the van as well as an evidence kit and began working the scene methodically. This was certainly an area he was comfortable with. Surely his scene skills would earn him some rare praise from his stoic leader.

“Let’s get a look at the body, Ducky.” He followed the doctor over to the cordoned off area where a tarp covered what he assumed was their victim.

“Who found him?” Gibbs asked the local LEO standing guard.

“Bar owner. Says he parks in the alley out back of his place to do paperwork in the morning, saw the body hanging half out of the dumpster. Thought it was some homeless drunk passed out until he pulled on a pant leg and he landed there.” He pointed to the tarp. “Found his tags right away so we called NCIS. Sorry to say he’s not looking too pretty.”

“They rarely do,” Gibbs snapped his notebook shut. “Probie,” he called, waving the younger man over, “dumpster.”

Tony tried to hide his grimace. “Figures,” he muttered.

“Problem, probie?” He managed to suppress his grin.

“Absolutely not, Boss. I love trash. Trash is my life.” He almost succeeded in making it sound sincere as he trotted up to the container.

“What do we have, Ducky?” Jethro turned to where the ME had pealed back the tarp to examine their victim. His stomach gave an unfamiliar lurch at the sight of the young officer’s clearly misshapen head and the bits of what appeared to be brain matter clinging to the edges of a gaping exit wound in the side of his skull. The noises around him suddenly seemed very distant and there was a faint buzzing in his ears.

“I’ll have to examine him, of course, but initial cause of death appears to be a bullet wound to the right temporal lobe and…Gibbs? Jethro, are you alright, you look a little…”

The last thing he remembered before the world went black was the feeling of strong arms wrapping around him and the fading sound of Ducky’s voice.

* * *

 

“Jethro?”

Something acrid wafted up his nostrils and he gagged as he opened his eyes. Ducky’s face hovered inches above his and was painted with deep concern.

“Ah, glad you could come back and join us, Jethro. Are you alright?”

“What happened?” There was something warm and familiar beneath his head.

“I do believe you passed out, Gibbs. It’s a good thing I keep some smelling salts in my bag for trainees. Agent DiNozzo here was fast on his feet and got an arm around you before you crashed. You can thank him for the lack of bruises later.”

“Told you we should have stopped for breakfast.” DiNozzo’s voice was closer than he thought it should have been.

There was a bright light in his eyes and the feeling of Ducky’s fingers at his wrist measuring his pulse. He turned to the side and realized the warmth beneath his head was that of Tony’s thighs and he groaned as he immediately struggled to sit up.

“Just stay still, Jethro. I think you’re fine, likely just a sudden drop in blood pressure, but it’s not like you to get wobbly at the sight of blood. Anything I should know about? Chest pain, muscle weakness?” Ducky continued to prod him.

“I’m fine, Ducky. Just skipped breakfast this morning.” He tried to play it down. The last thing he wanted was Ducky asking too many questions in front of DiNozzo.

The ME didn’t seem like he was completely appeased. “Agent DiNozzo, there is a banana in my bag back in the van. Will you help me sit him up and then fetch it for me?” he asked.

“I don’t need to be coddled, Ducky. I’m fine.” But as he sat up the world still felt a little spinny and he had to steady himself with his hands on the ground. He took deep breaths as Ducky continued to measure his pulse until he heard Tony trotting back up to them.

“Here you go, Boss.”

There was a look of sincere worry in his eyes and Jethro felt an unexplainable wave of guilt. Tony had even peeled the banana for him and he took it grudgingly from the younger man’s hands. “Don’t you have a scene to process?” It sounded a little more snappish than he had meant it to.

“I’m sorry, I was busy keeping your head from smacking into the pavement.” His eyes widened as he realized he said the words out loud. “I mean…yeah. I’ll just be over here…not worrying about you, Boss.” He picked up the camera from where he had set it on the ground and started to walk away.

“Tony,” Gibbs called to the younger man’s back, saw the look of relief bloom in his eyes when he turned around at Jethro’s use of the familiar. “Thank you.”

DiNozzo grinned and went back to bagging and tagging with a little more enthusiasm.

“You may be off the hook with young DiNozzo there, but you’ve still got me to answer to, Jethro. Is there something going on with you I should know about? We’ve known each other a long time and in all those years I’ve never known you to get faint no matter how gruesome the scene, even on an empty stomach.”

It was clear the ME would not be put off by the excuse of missing breakfast. “Not here, Ducky, okay?” he said softly.

Ducky studied him for a moment, his face puzzled and curious. “If you say so, Gibbs. Think you’re ready to get on your feet? We’ll take it nice and slow.”

Jethro was feeling a little better now after eating and the alley seemed more in focus. He let the ME take his elbow and hoist him to his feet. A few sparks swam in front of his eyes but dissipated as he stood with Ducky supporting him. He glanced in the direction of their victim and felt his stomach turn again, not quite so violently as before. “Think I’d better sit this one out, Duck,” he said reluctantly.

“I’ll walk you to the car.” It was more of a demand than an offer.

Jethro nodded and then called to DiNozzo. “Show me what you got, probie.”

The younger man’s eyes lit up. “Won’t let you down, Boss.”

“Miss anything and you’re fired.” He let Ducky hold his elbow as they walked the short distance to the car. He felt like a damn invalid as he slid into the passenger’s seat and leaned his head back gratefully. He could feel the sugar working its way into his system but he was suddenly exhausted.

“Out with it, Jethro. I get the sense you know more about what’s going on here than I do and I’ll admit, you have me a little worried.” Ducky had gone around the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

“Pregnant.” The word just came out and he realized he had been aching to tell someone else since the moment he knew. As if another’s acknowledgement of the baby in his belly made it all the more real.

“I’m sorry, did you say you’re…”

“Pregnant. Yeah.”

“Oh, Jethro.” The hitch in the older man’s voice was unmistakable. “Why that’s…that’s remarkable. I hesitate to ask, but is this good news?”

“I think so.” He let his hand wander down to his stomach as Ducky’s eyes followed.

“Then I couldn’t be happier for you, old friend.” He reached a hand out and settled it on top of Jethro’s for a moment in awe before the physician in him took over again. “You know, I have a good friend who specializes in male prenatal care. He’s quite busy but I can make a call and get you in, that is if you haven’t found someone of your own yet,” he offered.

“Thanks, Duck. Think I’ll take you up on that, actually. This is all still a little new to me too,” he said gratefully, happy it was one less thing he would have to worry about. “Do me a favor and keep an eye on DiNozzo?”

“Of course. He’s quite an impressive young agent, Jethro. You always did have a good eye.”

Gibbs tried to decide if there was something more behind the words. “I know he is, Duck. Best I’ve seen in a long time. Just don’t let him know it or we’ll never get his head back through the doors.”

The older man smiled at him in tacit agreement. “Feeling any better?” he asked.

“Yeah, actually. Gonna stay here another minute or two and then get some statements. Think I really did just need to eat something. Guess I’m just going to have to start keeping a stash of snacks,” he sighed.

“Ah, the joys of pregnancy, dear boy. So much to look forward to. Sadly I was never fortunate enough to know them myself. ” He patted Gibbs’ shoulder and eased out of the car before ducking his head back in. “Congratulations, Jethro.”

Gibbs held his eyes for a moment. “Thanks for not asking, Duck.”

“Oh, I expect answers, Jethro, but I assume you’ll give them when you’re ready. For now, your secret is safe with me, provided you start taking care of yourself and take the necessary steps sooner rather than later.”

“Not takin’ any chances. You have my word on that,” he said sincerely and the ME seemed satisfied.

“Then I shall go attend to our unfortunate victim and Agent DiNozzo.” He nodded his dismissal and headed back up the alley.

Jethro relaxed back against the seat and closed his eyes, fairly certain he had just signed up for six months of babysitting from the one man who now knew that he was carrying around an extra passenger.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Showing

**12 weeks**

Jethro shifted uncomfortably on the crinkled paper beneath him as the doctor to whom Ducky had referred him began his physical exam. After a few routine questions and a few not-so routine ones, he had stripped down to prepare for the more invasive part of his first pre-natal visit.

“I know this is uncomfortable but just try and relax.” The disembodied voice drifted to him from below the drape over his thighs.

He put his forearm over his eyes and tried to focus on anything but what was happening below the sheet.

One thing was certain, Gibbs owed Ducky a big steak dinner. As far as doctors went, Barry Reed seemed confident without being cocky, as well as concerned and competent. Jethro was still reserving judgment, but he felt at least the beginnings of hesitant comfort with the man. At least Reed had been able to get him in for an initial exam quickly. Jethro didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary to find out exactly what was going on inside of him. 

“Feel anything other than normal pressure?” Reed asked as he palpated Jethro’s lower abdomen gently and pressed up from inside.

“There is nothing normal about this, Doc.” He was uncomfortable but not in any kind of pain.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’, then.” He could hear the smile in Reed’s voice.  

  
A moment later he felt the burning sensation in his nether regions lessen as Reed withdrew whatever medieval torture device had been spreading him open.

“You can close now,” he said, rising and stripping off his gloves. “Go ahead and scoot back and sit up.”

“Well?” Gibbs couldn’t stand the anticipation as he pushed himself backwards and adjusted his gown to cover himself while the doctor washed his hands.

Reed smiled and it seemed both gentle and genuine. “Congratulations, Mr. Gibbs. You weren’t wrong. I’d say you’ve got about an 11 or 12 week fetus in there. I can be more accurate after we do the ultrasound.”

“I can give you an exact date plus or minus a day or so if ya want, Doc. I guess what I wanted to know was if everything seemed…normal.” This was the part that had him tossing and turning for the past two nights.

“So far so good, Mr. Gibbs.” Reed reassured him. “Again, we’ll know much more after an ultrasound.”

“Doc, you’re a friend of Ducky’s and after where you’ve just been I think you can call me Jethro.” he offered.

“Okay, Jethro. From all your records and tests we’ve done so far, you seem to be in better shape than most men half your age. As things stand right now, if you take care of yourself and take a few precautions, I can’t see why you won’t have a perfectly normal pregnancy.” He placed a hand on Gibbs shoulder reassuringly.

“Precautions?”

“Yes. Prenatal vitamins, avoiding alcohol and a few other things, caffeine in limited doses or not at all if you can stand it, of course.”

“I feel like there’s something you’re not saying,” Jethro pressed.

“Yes, well, Dr. Mallard filled me in on the basics of your job. I can’t tell you how to take care of yourself, Jethro, but having a healthy pregnancy requires that you eat regular nutritious meals, get plenty of rest, and above all, limit your exposure to things like bombs and bullets. You know your job better than I do but I would advise limiting the more strenuous parts of it for the duration,” he said soberly.

“Not tellin’ me anything I don’t know, Doc,” he sighed.

“Glad to hear it. Ducky also warned me that you could be rather…willful as a rule.”

“Stubborn as hell,” Gibbs corrected with a laugh, “and yes, usually he’s right. But this time I have bigger things to think about.”

“I have to say, I’m relieved. I wouldn’t classify your pregnancy as high risk by any means, but your particular vocation puts you into a class of risk I’m not used to dealing with.” He hesitated as if trying to figure out how to broach the next subject. “I’m sorry to ask, but is the other father involved at all? I only ask because having a family history from both parents can help anticipate any future difficulties.”

“It’s a little complicated.” He rubbed at his belly unconsciously. “I haven’t filled him in on this little development yet.”

“But you are in contact? I assume by your ability to focus on a date that you’re quite certain about paternity?”

“Oh, I’m sure, Doc. Like I said, it’s just a little complicated.” Thinking about DiNozzo brought that uncomfortable wave of guilt again.

“Well, even if you choose not to involve him, I can give you a history form to have him fill out. Anything would be helpful and sooner rather than later.” He made some notes on his chart.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Gibbs said grudgingly.

Reed nodded. “Go ahead and stay there. I’ll have a tech come in and set up for the ultrasound and then you’re good to go. I’ll want to see you back in 4 weeks unless you have any complications or questions and we’ll do another ultrasound at 20 weeks just to see how things are progressing. Please feel free to call my office any time. I don’t usually give patients my cell number but since you’re a friend of Dr. Mallard…” He produced a business card and scribbled an additional number, handing it over to Jethro.

“Thanks. I’m usually pretty low maintenance. Aside from now passing out at crime scenes, apparently.”

“As I said earlier, your blood work showed you were a little anemic. Nothing to worry about and the supplements should take care of it. That probably explains the passing out, but if the problem continues…”

“You’ll be my first call,” Jethro confirmed.

* * *

 

He stared at the fuzzy black and white picture. The blob in the middle was distinctly baby shaped and roughly the size of a small lime when he’d seen it on the monitor, even if it did resemble more of an alien baby at this point.

The ultrasound had gone well and the baby was pronounced in good health and he’d made Reed repeat the word ‘normal’ about a dozen times just to ease his mind. He’d felt a wave of relief greater than any he’d ever known wash over him as the fetus’s rapidly pounding heartbeat had echoed through the room. Smiling at the memory, he pocketed the scan and raised his fist to knock on Morrow’s door. No time like the present to deal with the second biggest diversion his life had ever taken.  

“Director,” he acknowledged as he entered. Morrow was behind his desk awash in paperwork.

“Agent Gibbs.” Morrow greeted him somewhat coolly. Unexpected visits from Gibbs seldom did anything good for his blood pressure. “If this is about your newest agent, I need to remind you that you were the one who insisted he be assigned to you.”

“This isn’t about DiNozzo.” He’d rehearsed this in the car and in the elevator and the words still seemed to be stuck in his throat.

Morrow relaxed a little. “Good, because I’m hearing excellent things about him out of FLETC. I’ll admit I had reservations in the beginning but I give you credit, Gibbs, you’ve got an eye for talent.”

“I’ll pass along your regards.” He said stiffly.

“Why do I doubt that, Gibbs?” Morrow chuckled. “Well, if it’s not DiNozzo, I assume it’s about your latest case? I thought that was pretty straight forward.”

“Still no murder weapon and we’ve run out of leads for the moment, but it’s not about the case either, Director.” He studied Morrow for a moment. “I need to request restricted duty. Starting immediately.”

Morrow looked shocked. “I don’t understand. I mean, I heard a rumor you had passed out at a scene but I assumed I’d somehow heard wrong. What’s going on, Jethro.” His concern seemed genuine.

Gibbs didn’t trust his voice at the moment so he decided on a more direct route. He pulled the ultrasound photo from his pocket and handed it to Morrow without a word.

The normally stoic NCIS Director broke out in a broad grin. “This is a joke, right? Did Fornell put you up to this? He’s been trying to get back at me for pulling jurisdiction on the Lowell case for ages but I have to admit, I never thought he’d go this far.”

“Not a joke, Director. That’s mine. Due in September but I plan to stay on duty as long as I possibly can. Hopefully until the end if you’ll approve the restrictions.” The words were coming easier now.

Morrow’s laughter died at the serious expression on Gibbs’ face. “This is for real?” he said incredulously.

“I can have my doctor call you if you’d like,” he offered.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” The shock in his voice was palpable.

“Then you’ll approve the restricted duty?” Gibbs pressed.

“The restrictions? Of course, I’ll approve them…I… You’re just going to have to give me a few minutes to wrap my head around this, Jethro. I have to be honest, you’re the last person I ever would have expected this from.”

“It wasn’t exactly planned on my end either,” he admitted.

“I assumed as much. And the father?”

“Is my business.” It wasn’t a snap but it was firm and he hoped it would put an end to that line of questioning.

“It’s just that there’s bound to be speculation. I don’t really need any more surprises.”

Jethro remained silent, refusing to acknowledge the push.

Morrow sighed. “Okay. I’ll send through the paperwork on my end. You’ll have to take care of the medical stuff with HR.” He rifled in his desk briefly. “I’ll admit, you haven’t exactly picked the best time for this. We’re still working on building your team and with DiNozzo still in training…”

“DiNozzo will be fine. He’s as solid as most of our seasoned agents in interrogation and evidentiary procedures. He’s leading his classes in tactics and surveillance and I’ve been told his work under cover has always been impressive, though that remains to be tested. What he needs to focus on are foreign ops and anti-terrorism and I can get him up to speed from right here over the next six months.”

“I’d still like him to work with other teams in the field during that time,” Morrow cautioned.

“Let me choose the ops and you won’t get any objection from me,” Jethro promised.

“Good.” He nodded. “It’s not ideal but it’s clear you’ve put some thought into this already. So as of now you’re officially off under cover and non-secured scenes. I guess we’ll take the rest as it comes.”

“One more request, Director.”

“Don’t ask me why, but I’m feeling in a generous mood,” he spread his hands.

“I’d like to keep this quiet for as long as possible. It’s going to be obvious before too long but I’d like to keep office chatter down if I can,” he entreated.

“For once, you and I are in agreement. I’ll try not to make the restricted duty obvious,” he assented.

“Thank you, Director.” He turned to leave.

“Jethro,” Morrow’s voice stopped him at the door. “Congratulations,” he said sincerely.

**14 Weeks**

Gibbs let the elevator doors slide fully closed and counted to 10 before he hit the stop button. He reached beneath his blazer and hurriedly undid his belt and the button on his pants with a sigh of relief, rubbing softly at the little indentation on his skin. He could swear his pants hadn’t been that tight when he’d put them on in the morning but there was no denying his discomfort now. The undone button was a big relief and he refastened his belt at the next notch and slid his zipper down about an inch as well, thankful that if he left his coat buttoned it would be completely unnoticeable. New pants were definitely in order soon and he was happy he’d always worn his sport coats a little big. At least they would last him a few more weeks. He hoped.

There was no doubt that the bump was growing. He spent what felt like an hour studying it in the mirror each morning and evening, looking at his changing body from every angle and exploring the thickening of his waist with his fingertips. With clothes on, it still looked like he was just letting himself go a little, developing a bit of a gut. But anyone looking closely enough when he wasn’t adequately covered might notice that the swelling wasn’t quite in the right place for a beer belly, wasn’t quite the right shape. And touching it? God, he could barely keep his hands off of it. The smooth skin and softly bowing muscle just made it all seem so real to him and it remained the only tangible evidence of his condition.

With a sigh, he forced his hand from his stomach where it had moved to rest automatically as it almost always did when he was alone.

He allowed the elevator to resume its course and exited when he reached the lab floor, seeking out its most notorious occupant. 

Jethro couldn’t say what it was about Abby Sciuto that he found so endearing, perhaps it was the fact that at their very first meeting she had thrown her arms around his neck and embraced him as if greeting a long lost friend but in the year she had been at NCIS he had discovered her to be resourceful, trustworthy, indispensable, and above all, brilliant. In fact he had to admit that her brain scared him a little sometimes and he wasn’t scared of much.

“What do you have, Abbs?” he quickly crossed to where she was busily looking at magnified bullets on a large monitor.

“I’m sorry, Gibbs. I’ve tested every gun in our suspect’s _vast_ collection but I haven’t come up with anything close to a match. You need to look for a different gun.” She knew he would be disappointed but results were results.

“Don’t have a different gun.” He’d been hoping they had caught a break in their as yet unsolved Naval Lieutenant’s murder. This had been their last lead, an old boyfriend with no alibi, a grudge, and a love of firearms, but his gut had told him from the beginning that they were barking up the wrong tree.

“I’m tracking any unclaimed weapons that come up out there but so far, nothing.” She moved over to the counter where several test tubes of varying colors filled the space. “What I do have is…GIBBS!”

He had begun to toy idly with the edge of a rack of tubes to occupy the fingers that wanted to scratch at the stretching skin of his stomach and her exclamation made him jerk his hand back violently.

“Gibbs, you know better than to touch things in here, especially in your…” she bit her lip to stop herself but it was too late.

“In my what?” He should have known that he couldn’t hide his pregnancy from Abby of all people.

“In your condition,” she said reluctantly. “I’m sorry, Gibbs. I promised myself I wasn’t going to say anything, it’s just…”

He considered denying it for about a half a second, mostly because that unstoppable wave of guilt over Tony’s lack of knowledge was still eating at him, but where Abby was concerned, he knew denial was an exercise in futility. “How long?”

“Awhile,” she admitted. “You mean you didn’t know?”

“Not until 3 weeks ago, no,” he said grudgingly.

 “Oh Gibbs!” Her eyes softened and she embraced him exuberantly.

He let himself relax in the comfort of her arms as he did no other.

“Promise I can babysit?” she asked excitedly as she pulled away.

“I promise, Abbs.” He smiled and kissed her cheek fondly. “But no baby talk just yet, okay?” he said seriously.

“Cross my heart.” She accompanied the phrase with a gesture.

“Good.” He turned to leave. “Call if you get a hit on a possible murder weapon,” he called over his shoulder.

* * *

 

Abby watched Jethro’s departing back and chewed the tip of her hair. “Wonder if he’s told Tony DiNozzo he’s gonna be a dad yet,” she speculated aloud with a smile.


	3. Choosing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have developed soft spots for certain parts of this fic. This is most definitely one of them.

****

**16 weeks**

Tony glanced at Gibbs from the cover of the water cooler. Something had been different about his boss these last few weeks. On the surface Gibbs seemed, well, not happy exactly, but at the very least, slightly less gruff. But there was something else, something he just couldn’t put his finger on and it was distracting as hell. Like his brain was screaming at him but he just couldn’t quite make out what it was saying.

“Man, I would not want to be the guy who knocked up Gibbs for all the money in the world.” Barbosa’s deep voice startled him out of his speculation.

“Yeah,” he agreed automatically, the words not quite processing. “Wait, WHAT?” he turned to the young agent who had been the first to befriend him when he joined NCIS.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice, DiNozzo. You spend more time with the guy than anyone.” Barbosa seemed genuinely surprised.

“Oh. Oh yeah. I mean, I just...I didn’t want to say anything.” Tony tried to cover just how rattled he was.

“He’s not gonna be able to hide it much longer anyway. Gotta be what, 16 weeks by the look of that gut he’s getting?”

Barbosa was still talking but Tony’s brain was spinning, mentally doing some calculations and wondering if his friend could possibly be imagining things.

 “The coffee was a dead give-away for me, though. Notice how he always has a cup like normal but never seems to drink it anymore? And when was the last time he took a call to an unsecured scene or a fly-away? Dollars to doughnuts he’s already on restricted duty and the Director’s covering.” He took a sip of the water he had just poured, giving Tony’s head a chance to catch up.

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty obvious.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to cover the shaking.

“I just wondered if he said anything to you, you know. You guys seem pretty tight. Well, tighter than most people with Gibbs, anyway. We’re all just wondering who the super stud was that was crazy enough to put a bun in _that_ oven,” he said somewhat crudely.

“Hasn’t said anything to me. But you know Gibbs,” he said by way of explanation. The room was spinning and he really needed some fresh air.

“No kidding,” he laughed. “Well, I’m just sayin’, I wouldn’t wanna be that guy. Hey, see you on the court around 6?” he asked as he started to walk away.

“What? Oh, yeah. See you then.” His eyes drifted back to Gibbs as Barbosa rounded the corner.

* * *

 

“Hey, Gibbs?” Tony’s feet had found their way to the front of the older man’s desk without much thought and without any kind of plan as to how to ask the unaskable.

“DiNozzo.” Jethro didn’t even to bother looking up.

“I was just…I mean, I was wondering if you…are you…” Shit, he couldn’t do it. Searching for any kind of out, his eyes lit on the ever present coffee cup and he switched tactics. “Did you want more coffee? I was gonna head down for some and I just thought…” Okay, he thought it sounded halfway natural.

“Got a full cup right here,” he gestured absently.

“Yeah, but it’s been there awhile. Just thought maybe you wanted a fresh one,” he pressed. Perhaps he could get Gibbs to let something slip. He was a trained interrogator, right?

Jethro looked up at him then. Really looked, cocking his head to the side as he studied him silently. “Something on your mind, DiNozzo?” he finally asked.

Tony saw something cloud Jethro’s face for a split second, something he recognized but didn’t understand. For just the fraction of a second the older man’s mask had fallen and it had been there, clear as day.

Guilt so strong Tony would have thrown cuffs on him if he was in interrogation. But it disappeared again before he could get a hold on it.

“Just thinking about coffee, Boss,” he said steadily after a moment.

“Okay, DiNozzo.” Gibbs continued to regard him silently over the desktop until Tony finally turned away awkwardly without another word.

 

**17 weeks**

Over the next week, Tony watched Gibbs furtively at every opportunity, trying desperately to figure out how to confront him. He was in the middle of yet another round of FLETC exams and so between Federal procedures and the churning in his gut whenever his eyes drifted to the untouched cups of coffee on Jethro’s desk, he wasn’t getting much sleep.

It wasn’t his imagination or Barbosa’s. Gibbs’ sport coats were definitely getting tighter around the middle and he was unnaturally vigilant about keeping them closed, careful to turn and button up whenever he slipped from behind the cover of his desk. On more than one occasion, Tony had caught a glimpse of his pants riding low beneath the noticeable swell in his belly as the older man reached for something in the file cabinet or leaned over his desk.

He’d seen Jethro naked, knew that only a few short months ago there had been nothing but lean muscle beneath those tight polos and now…now there was definitely something else going on down there and it was most definitely growing. And if Barbosa was right about his timeline, that left Tony with a much bigger issue than the fact that he seemed to be missing out on all the best cases recently.

And so one rainy Friday night at the very beginning of April, after spending a dizzying car ride to a scene earlier that day with a million questions stuck in his throat and his eyes glued to the way Jethro’s belly bowed toward the steering wheel, he found himself standing outside the door to Gibbs’ house with his heart hammering in his chest and as much resolve as he could muster flowing through his veins.

Tony had been to Gibbs’ home a few times near the beginning of his tenure at NCIS. They’d had some awkward but necessary discussions over beers and bourbon about the need to keep their weekend in Baltimore out of their working relationship and start over. Well, ‘discussions’ was probably an exaggeration. He’d expressed his views on the subject and Gibbs had grunted his agreement over the whining of a jigsaw as he worked on some project, but in the end, the result had been the same.

The sexual tension between them during those visits had been palpable and the temptation, at least on Tony’s part, nearly over powering. Gibbs too, had allowed his hand to stray a moment too long  into Tony’s hair as they’d parted with an embrace, the last they would allow themselves to share now that their relationship needed to be decidedly professional  and above board. He’d determined that tempting fate, at least until the memory of those few fabulous days had dimmed somewhat, was probably not a good idea and so he had stayed away until now.

In addition to stalking Jethro’s belly, Tony’d had time to think over the last week. After half a dozen fitfully sleepless nights he’d come to tentative terms with both the anger he felt that Gibbs would keep his pregnancy and Tony’s impending fatherhood from him, and his paralyzing fear of said impending fatherhood.

 It wasn’t an ideal situation. In fact, with his employment at NCIS and as a member of Team Gibbs, it was riddled with so many complications he had absolutely no idea how the two of them would begin to sort it out. But he knew he wanted to try. He knew that if he’d had a hand in creating a child, he wanted to be a part of its life and that started right now.

Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob on the door he’d once been assured would always be open to him. Tony smiled as it moved easily in his palm and he stepped into the entryway with no impediment.

Gibbs didn’t seem to be anywhere on the first floor and he suspected he would find him in the basement as he had on those other occasions. Tony had to admit, he’d been a little surprised that Jethro had this huge house all to himself. He’d pictured him more in a functional apartment or condo with just enough space to get by in and the house somehow seemed at odds with Gibbs as he knew him.

He didn’t understand the strong feeling of sadness he had whenever he looked at Jethro’s living room with its neatly folded pile of blankets on the couch and dusty bookshelves. Something felt so empty about the entire space, a deeper emptiness than sparse furnishings and neglected plants could explain but he couldn’t begin to rationalize where the feeling came from.

Making his way to the top of the staircase where the rasp of sandpaper on wood could be heard drifting upward, Tony took a deep breath and gathered himself for, what he suspected would be an emotional and unpleasant conversation.

* * *

 

Jethro heard the front door open and close, heard the hesitant footfalls slowly make their way across creaking floorboards to the top of the stairs. His heart rose up a little in his throat despite the fact that he had been expecting DiNozzo to make an appearance any night that week.

It had been impossible not to notice the way Tony’d been watching him, studying him thoughtfully over the last few days and he’d heard the exceedingly hushed rumors beginning to fly around the office as his pregnancy became more and more difficult to conceal. In truth, he was tired of trying to hide it and he had only been waiting for DiNozzo to finally get his head together and confront him. Jethro was almost certain the younger man had been on the verge a week ago and then again during their car ride earlier. Holding his tongue while Tony stared openly at his belly had been nearly impossible.

He could have gone to Tony. Maybe he should have. But something inside of him needed DiNozzo to make the first move. Gibbs needed him to know he wasn’t expecting anything Tony wasn’t prepared to give, that whatever the younger man offered came not from a sense of obligation but from his own desires for the child they had created.

“It’s not going to get any easier no matter how long you stand there, DiNozzo,” he called gently to the silent figure looming at the top of the staircase, not breaking the motion of his hand against the wood.

Tony jumped as Jethro’s voice carried up to him and he was surprised at the softness of it.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked lamely as he slowly descended. Gibbs was busily working on a long curved piece of wood that Tony couldn’t discern the purpose of but it wasn’t the project that made him stop halfway down.

Unlike the concealing sport coats Jethro wore around the office, his current attire did absolutely nothing to hide the noticeable curve of his tummy. In fact the loose sweatpants that hung low on his hips and the too-tight t-shirt that was slightly damp with sweat only served to accentuate it and Tony’s legs suddenly felt a little weak.

After taking a minute to gather himself he made it to the floor and stood a respectable distance away, wringing his hands and unable to take his eyes off of Jethro’s bump.

“It always looks a little bigger in the evenings.” Gibbs broke the silence without looking up. “I know it takes some getting used to.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tony breathed, sounding a bit awestruck.

Jethro finally set down the sanding block slowly and leaned against the edge of the workbench. He met Tony’s eyes steadily. “Why do you think I should have told you?” It wasn’t provoking, just a simple way to measure where Tony’s head was at.

“Jesus, Jethro, it’s my baby. I mean, it has to be.” There was no question there. He just wanted to hear Gibbs confirm it.

“No,” Jethro shook his head. “Right now it’s my baby. It doesn’t have to be anything to you unless you want it to, and I mean _really_ want it to. There is no half way about this one and depending on what you choose there are complications even I haven’t worked out in my head yet.”

“What do you mean, choose? You’re having a kid. MY kid. I don’t exactly see how it’s a choice anymore.” The coolness with which Gibbs was prepared to shut him out only fueled his resolve.

“I don’t have a choice but even if I did I would choose this.” He rested a hand on his stomach. “I would _choose_ this baby but you don’t have to and I will understand if you don’t. I won’t think less of you as an agent or as a man if this isn’t where you want your life to go right now. I honestly don’t know what my decision would be if I was in your shoes but rest assured, it _is_ your choice. I don’t need anything from you and you can walk back up those stairs, get in your car and drive home, come into work in the morning and act surprised like the rest of NCIS when I stop making a joke out of hiding this.” His fingers traced a circle over the thin fabric of his shirt.

Tony let the words sink in, stared wide eyed at Jethro in incredulity about how callous he could be about the whole thing.

There was a door. An open door with no obligations right behind him and he was astonished at the speed with which he let it swing shut without a second thought and took a step toward Jethro. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard you say so many words together, Gibbs.” His voice was soft, intent.

“Tony…”

It was a clear warning but he took another step anyway.

“Do you know the only thing I’ve been able to think about for the last week is this baby? I’ve barely slept and when I did, I _dreamed_ about babies. Fat little babies with blue eyes and chubby cheeks, Gibbs, that’s all I see when I close my eyes. You’ve had more time to deal with this, to wrap your head around it, that’s true, but I didn’t come here tonight to be released from some overdeveloped sense of obligation.”

Tony took another step, and another. He had Gibbs backwards against the workbench now, watching him warily as if deciding just how and when he would put a stop to his advance. Their bodies were only inches from each other and he could feel the heat rolling off the older man in waves, could smell the intoxicating blend of fresh sweat and sweet sawdust.

He laid his hand lightly on Jethro’s stomach, surprised at how firm and warm the swelling felt beneath his open palm. “I choose this.”


	4. Celebrating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to earn that Explicit rating kids.

****

Tony’s hand against his stomach burned like a brand and he fought the strong urge to press into it.

“Don’t,” he cautioned, but the protest was feeble. God damn hormones were turning him into a sappy son of a bitch already. He knew he should brush the hand away but his arms hung loosely at his sides as Tony’s fingers gently explored his pregnancy.

The touch felt odd and intensely intimate but also startlingly good as did the wave of relief at Tony’s reaction. It would have been far less complicated for both of them if DiNozzo had just chosen to walk away but he had to admit, he was thankful not to feel completely alone in this little venture any longer.

“Oh Chirst, DiNozzo. Come on.” He protested in earnest this time as Tony sank to his knees in the sawdust at his feet and planted both hands on his bump.

“God, I wanted to do this all fucking week long, Jethro. You don’t know how many times I…It’s just so…real.”

“Tell me about it.” Tony’s hands were so carefully tender, so loving. As if by touching his stomach he was already caressing the child inside. Jethro knew he should put a stop to the curious moment they were sharing but he couldn’t bring himself to. “Tony,” he said gently finally needing to break the silence.

“Hey, you’ve had…” He looked up at Gibbs. “How long have you known about this anyway?” He realized he had no clue.

“About six weeks,” he admitted.  “ Was starting to show a little so I took a test. Won’t say I wasn’t in shock.”

“And that day in the alley?” realization dawned.

“Found out that morning.”

Tony seemed to ponder this a moment. “Do you…do you know what it is?” he asked hesitantly.

Gibbs shook his head. “Not yet. Get checked again in three weeks and he should be able to tell then if I want.” He caught the question in Tony’s eyes. “If _we_ want,” he added. It was going to take a while to adjust to that. “But whatever it is, it’s healthy. And growing, as you can tell.”

Tony nodded, appeased only for the moment. “We’re not done talking about the fact that you knew for six weeks and didn’t tell me, Gibbs.” His delicate examination of Jethro’s body continued unabated.

“I figured as much.” He rolled his eyes and wondered yet again what the hell had he gotten into. “Are you done touching it yet?” His body was beginning to respond to the stimulation in uncomfortable ways that seemed to be beyond his control at the moment and it was only a matter of time before Tony noticed.

As if in answer, Tony’s fingers traced the rounding to the waistband of his pants, pushing them a little lower as he skirted his hip bones.

“It was a one night stand, DiNozzo.” He tried to distract his brain from just how fucking _good_ Tony’s touch felt. ”Or at least it was supposed to be. I wasn’t sure if you were ready for something like this, hell, I’m still not sure if I am, but you’re right, I should have given you more credit and I’m sorry, Tony. Sorry I waited this long and sorry we’re here in the first place. I should have been more careful.” He hoped the apology would sidetrack the younger man from his apparent obsession with his stomach.

“ _WE_ should have been more careful. I was just as carried away as you were as I recall. And it was three nights, Gibbs. Three amazing nights, and yeah, after those three nights…after how we…you _should_ have known better.” He paused. “Can I…” his fingers toyed with the edge of Jethro’s t-shirt as he looked up for permission.

He should have said no, should have moved away but he felt himself nod slowly against all his better instincts. Jesus, he was hard as a rock in his sweats and there was no way DiNozzo hadn’t noticed by now.

Reaching down to pull his shirt up around his ribs, Jethro held his breath as Tony’s fingertips skated over his bare skin.

“What does it feel like?” DiNozzo murmured, obviously still fascinated.

Gibbs laughed. “Honestly, it doesn’t feel like much at this point. Just feels kind of…full. Except that I’m starving all the time now. And I have to piss every five minutes.”

Tony was only half listening to Jethro’s description. He wasn’t sure when curiosity had turned to something else but it was obvious Gibbs felt it too and he licked his lips as his eyes drank in the silver trail that led him downward to where Jethro’s cock, unrestrained by the soft fabric of his clothing, had risen stiffly and tented his sweats.

The warm breath against his sensitive flesh was all the warning he had and his hand flew involuntarily to Tony’s head a half second before DiNozzo pressed his lips just below the curve of his belly and above his waistband. Without thought he fisted his hand in the younger man’s hair and pulled back hard, forcing Tony to turn his face up, but his planned protest froze on his lips.

The look in the younger man’s eyes was so tenderly hungry, so fucking _bold_ that Jethro made no further move to stop him when Tony’s hands slipped into his pants and pushed them from his hips, stretching them out and over the erection that was only inches away from his lips.

“This won’t make things any easier.” He cautioned.

“I know.”

“And I can’t make any promises past tonight,” Gibbs said soberly. “You can be as much a part of the baby’s life as you want but I don’t know how much of mine I can give you.”

“Not asking right now.” Tony said thickly. His palms circled Jethro’s hips so that his thumbs stroked softly against his swollen middle. “Right now, we’re celebrating.”

He released his grip a little and Tony’s mouth came forward again, moved reverently in feather-light strokes across the breadth of his stomach. Jethro widened his stance as he felt DiNozzo’s fingers tracing circles on his thigh, moving swiftly and surely between his legs to brush his balls fleetingly.

Tony’s lips kept moving steadily downward and Gibbs heard him inhale sharply as he felt the tip of the younger man’s nose nudge at the thick base of his cock.

“God, I missed your smell, Gibbs. I swear I could remember it for weeks after, like it was inside me, somehow.” He took another deep breath, letting the pleasant musky scent fill his nostrils.

Jethro hissed as Tony’s mouth took him from the side, cupped around his dick and slowly slid upwards until it gently closed over his head.

Tony held Gibbs in his mouth, let his tongue trace the thick outline of his head and plunder his leaking hole greedily before moving his lips down the thick shaft and swallowing hard against the contraction of his throat muscles. Jethro’s head pulsed against his soft palate and he withdrew until he could breathe again, relishing the sweet moans coming from above him.

Jethro gripped the edge of the workbench hard with one hand for support as the other continued to work convulsively in Tony’s hair. DiNozzo sucked him expertly, instinctively finding the rhythms that had tight heat pooling and coiling in his gut and tugging at his spine in no time at all. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the younger man’s bobbing head and he licked his lips as Tony undid his pants with one hand and drew out his own cock, jerking it hard in rhythm with the work of his mouth. The visual was more than he could handle and he began to thrust hard into DiNozzo’s mouth with abandon.

“Gonna come,” he panted in warning, giving Tony enough time to pull away if he wanted to. It was fast but he didn’t care. If their past was anything to go by, this was nothing more than a warm up.

Tony tightened his lips and let Jethro fuck his mouth sloppily as his free hand came up to rest on the curve of the older man’s stomach and trace restless circles across the taut flesh. At the touch of his fingers, Gibbs stiffened and he felt the hot pulse of cum shoot forcefully against the back of his throat and slide down. He caught as much as he could on his tongue, savoring the taste before he swallowed. He waited for Jetho to calm and the fingers in his hair to go slack before he released him.

Leaning back on his heels he looked up at Gibbs while he pumped his hips into his own fist, marveled at how fucking gorgeous he looked with his swollen belly, sated eyes, and still engorged cock, and came hard. Harder than he’d expected. Harder than he usually did on his own, spilling in thick arcing spurts onto the cold cement at Jethro’s feet.

Tony slumped forward as his body emptied itself and Gibbs’ hands came to rest lightly on his shoulders, stroked gently down the curve of his neck. Panting hard and still shuddering with the aftershocks of release, he pressed his lips to Jethro’s belly one last time and managed to get his legs under him, rising to draw Gibbs into his arms and kiss him deeply, something he thought he’d never be able to do again.

Jethro gave a tiny, pleased grunt at the taste of himself on Tony’s lips and let the kiss happen, gave himself over to the shared intimacy of this unique moment in their lives as they stepped over the edge of a cliff together, both uncertain of what would greet them at the bottom, but excited for the fall.

“I promise you this wasn’t what I was thinking about when I walked in that door tonight.” Tony spoke against Gibbs’ open mouth, cradled the older man’s face in his hands.

“Wouldn’t have made it past that first step if it was.” His tongue shot out and traced Tony’s bottom lip.

“You have a bedroom in this place, Gibbs?”

* * *

 

Tony lay atop clean sheets in a darkened bedroom that had the feel of disuse. Gibbs hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights as they’d made their way upstairs but the glow from the streetlights streaming in through the window had been more than enough to guide him to the large bed in the center of the room.

There was a serviceable attached bathroom which was clean and sparse but he was able to do a little prep while Gibbs scrounged for lube. The condom in his wallet was still good and he thought of the irony of pulling it out now while thinking about Jethro’s belly.

As soon as he exited the bathroom Gibbs pushed passed him and he smiled at the relieved groan a moment later as the pregnant man emptied his bladder and then returned to find Tony stretched out and ready for him.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Tony asked, hooking an elbow behind his head as he watched Jethro shed his sweats and t-shirt. The changes in his body were even more remarkable in the soft glow across his fully naked form and his dick gave a violent lurch, quickly stirring to life again.

“Fine,” Jethro reassured him. “Just gotta be a little more careful.”

“Not like I could get you any _more_ pregnant,” Tony laughed lightly.

“Not what I meant, DiNozzo.” Gibbs moved in atop him, straddling his thighs. “Not what I meant.” He quickly pinned Tony’s arms to the mattress over his head and kissed him hard, driving his tongue between the deliciously parted lips that still carried his taste.

Jethro moved against him, rolled his hips so their cocks stroked together in rhythm with their twisting tongues. Tony could feel the hard curve of Gibbs’ stomach brushing against his own flat belly and the sensation brought a tight moan that Jethro swallowed greedily.

“So fucking sexy,” he murmured as Gibbs’ lips drifted down to cup his jaw.

To Tony’s surprise, Jethro paused at his words and sat up, releasing his hands as he looked down at him with a curious expression. “You really think that don’t you?” His hand moved to rest on his abdomen.

“You don’t?” his hand joined Gibbs’.

“Hadn’t thought about it,” he admitted, pondering Tony’s clear interest in the new shape his body was taking.

“This not enough to convince you?” he fisted his cock which was already leaking fat drops across his stomach.

“Have to admit it’s a damn good start,” Jethro said hungrily as he shifted and pressed a knee between Tony’s thighs.

Tony pulled his knees back eagerly, spreading himself open to Jethro’s probing fingers. Gibbs was clearly in the mood to top tonight and he was in no mood to say no. Top or bottom, sex with Jethro had consisted of the singularly most mind blowing fucks of his life and he would take him any way he could get him.

Gibbs slid down between his parted thighs and arced forward, tracing the cut of his groin with an eager mouth. The warm and familiar taste of Tony’s skin flooded him, invaded him. He understood now what DiNozzo had said earlier about his scent. For some reason the taste of the younger man’s flesh, the feel of it sliding beneath his lips was like returning to a place he had missed desperately without even being aware of it.

Tony’s fingers toyed and pinched at his own nipples, working the flattened nubs into hard, sensitive peaks as he anticipated the brush of Jethro’s fingertips on his aching cock. Instead, it was the feel of the older man’s warm breath ghosting over his head that made him fist the sheets at his side and twist his hips impatiently.

Gibb’s soft laugh at DiNozzo’s enthusiasm was muted as his lips closed around the tip of Tony’s cock and held him there gently while his tongue and teeth toyed lightly with the smooth velvety flesh. He rolled his tongue and worked his leaking slit, letting the salty-musky flavor coat his taste buds. He fisted Tony’s shaft and pumped him in quick short strokes, hollowing out his cheeks as Tony hissed at the intensity of it.

“Keep doing that and I’m gonna come, Gibbs,” he panted. “Rather come with you fucking me.”

Jethro didn’t release him immediately but he did slow down a little. He wanted Tony on the brink, needed him close to the edge because just the memory of the younger man’s tight heat was enough to get his dick hard and weeping the few times he’d let his mind stray there. When Tony started to pump his hips involuntarily,Gibbs finally let his cock fall from his lips and leaned across him to reach the bottle of lube he’d found in his drawer.

Squeezing the thick gel onto his fingertips, he dipped his hand beneath Tony’s balls and found his hole. He knew what Tony liked, knew the younger man wanted his ass tight as it opened around Gibbs’ cock so he only teased him open gently, just enough to get things started.

Tony handed him the condom he’d pulled from his wallet. It seemed a lame offering. “If you want,” he said. “Just had my physical. I’m clean. And there hasn’t…there hasn’t been anyone else since you,” he admitted softly.

Gibbs regarded him curiously. That was certainly a discussion they were going to have soon.

“Don’t think we need to take any more chances, do you?” He peeled the tip of the packet off with his teeth and spat it onto the bed next to them . Tony looked like he wanted to say something but Gibbs quickly sheathed his cock in the lube-slippery rubber and pressed his thighs back.

Tony sucked in a breath as Jethro’s cock pressed hard against his hole, squeezed mercilessly into the tight ring of muscle. He bit back a moan at the delicious burning ache as his body stretched to accommodate the older man’s cock, gave himself over to the indescribably feeling of having Jethro moving inside him. Gibbs knew what he was doing and gave him time to adjust to each inch as he filled him, rocking gently against the tight pressure to ease him open gradually.

When he was fully inside, Jethro felt Tony lock his ankles in the small of his back to hold him in place and he leaned forward, palms just above Tony’s shoulders and began moving in long easy strokes. “Better than I remember, even with the condom,” he said breathlessly as his lips skimmed the column of Tony’s throat. “Didn’t think that was possible.” He was careful to keep his weight off his belly but the curve of it brushed gently against Tony’s cock and the thick shaft against his skin felt utterly exquisite.

“Feels amazing, all of it.” His throat felt thick and hands chased up Jethro’s flanks, skimmed the sides of his bump lovingly and then planted on his ass as he pulled himself up to capture the older man’s mouth. The sex had been astounding before, mind numbingly good even, but this felt different. He felt connected to Jethro in a way he’d never felt with any lover in his past and his entire body was on fire with it.

Gibbs picked up the pace a little as Tony’s ankles pressed into him harder and his thighs began to contract. Usually he would push himself up, watch from above as the younger man lost himself but he was caught up in the passion of DiNozzo’s tongue fucking his mouth desperately, in the way he rolled his hips so feverishly. The muscles in his arms were burning but he couldn’t give it up, couldn’t move away from the fiery intensity of it.

“Oh _fuck,_ I’m coming.” A quavering cry as Tony’s orgasm hit almost without warning. He clutched desperately at Jethro as he stiffened and shuddered, shooting hot and thick onto the hard bulge of Gibbs’ belly and his own stomach.

The feeling of already tight heath clamping down hard around his cock tore a harsh groan from Jethro’s throat as he continued to thrust brokenly through his own peak. He felt heat climb his spine and spread through his shoulders, shoot down his thighs and out through his toes as they curled and stretched with the contractions of his body. His arms were going to give out on him any second and he somehow managed to reach a hand between their bodies and secure the condom before he withdrew from Tony’s still quivering heat and collapsed on his side, panting hard and trembling.

He had no idea how long they lay stretched out and sated beside each other but his body was beginning to cool as Tony’s hand slipped over to rest on his messy stomach. The younger man rolled towards him and molded to his side, nosed tentatively at the curve of his ear.

“How did I ever think I could give this up?” he whispered.

Gibbs wasn’t sure if the words were meant for him of if Tony was asking himself but he felt the younger man tremble slightly against him. “Cold?” The sweat on his own skin was quickly drying and the early spring air coming in through the window had raised goose flesh across his shoulders. At least that’s what he was telling himself.

“I need to stay tonight, Jethro.”

It didn’t sound like a request. “Tony…” As much as he liked the idea he wasn’t sure it was the best one.

“I don’t stay the night Gibbs. I just don’t. Those three nights with you? Leaving never even crossed my mind, do you get that?” He propped himself up on his elbow. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. There are a million things we need to talk about, work out, but tonight…tonight I just need to be here.”

There was no way Jethro could deny him. “Need to get cleaned up.” He pushed himself up awkwardly and made his way to the bathroom where he disposed of the condom and washed Tony’s cum off his belly with a satisfied smile. Returning to the bed, he handed DiNozzo a warm washcloth for himself and then helped him pull back the covers.

“I don’t do this,” he said lamely, gesturing to the bed they were about to share and feeling like he needed to meet Tony in the middle on something. “Not with men. You were…you were the first. You should know that.”

DiNozzo smiled gratefully and moved over on the bed. “You have a side?” he asked.

“I have a couch,” Gibbs grunted. “But I’m pretty sure this one’s gonna demand a bed most nights pretty soon so I guess I should get used to it.” He palmed the underside of his belly with a grimace and yawned.

Jethro slid beneath the covers and turned on his side, the position he found most comfortable now. He wasn’t surprised when Tony inched hesitantly closer, finally pressing up against his back and slipping his hand around to rest on his belly. “Gonna talk about this touching thing tomorrow too, you know. Can’t have you glued to my stomach until September,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Hey, I deserve belly time too, you know. You get to have the baby with you 24/7,” he chided.

“Trade you. You carry it around 24/7.” Tony’s fingers had begun to trace idly across his skin but they suddenly stopped. He was silent but Gibbs could tell he had something on his mind.

“I can’t, you know,” he said quietly. “Can’t carry one myself. Not that I’d really thought about it until now, but…I can’t,” he finished lamely.

Jethro didn’t really know what to say. Certainly not all men could just as not all women could but it seemed as if it had been weighing on Tony recently. “That part of this?”

“Maybe.” He sounded as if he wasn’t certain himself. “But I can’t, so there’s that. I just thought you should know.” His fingers resumed their soothing movements.

“G’night, DiNozzo.” His hand came up and caught Tony’s fingers, twining with them loosely.

“G’night, Jethro.” He relaxed and began to drift as soon as the words faded into silence.

 

 

 


	5. Discussing

****

Tony woke in an unfamiliar bed to the early beginnings of daylight streaming through filmy curtains with the pleasant yet foreign sensation of soft lips moving gently against the side of his throat.

They had shifted positions in the night and Jethro was now pressed to Tony’s side, nuzzling muzzily into his neck. He was about to begin reciprocating the enjoyable awakening when Gibbs’ voice startled him.

“Miss you so much, Shannon,” Jetho murmured below his ear, the heaviness in his voice palpable.

Realizing now that Gibbs was not conscious, he suddenly felt uncomfortable but the older man seemed to settle and said nothing more. Tony considered waking him for a moment before deciding it would be better to allow him to remain in whatever tortured dream had sent silent tears dripping down Jethro’s warm cheek to plop flatly on the pillow beneath him.

The moment made him realize he knew virtually nothing about the man lying beside him, the man who was now having his child. Nothing about the details of his life anyway. In some ways though, he felt he already knew what he _needed_ to know about Jethro absent the entire minutia.  

Eventually, Gibbs rolled away from him again fitfully and Tony let him go, waiting for him to wake naturally. But when Jethro showed no signs of rousing several moments later, Tony moved in closer and propped himself up on his elbow, watching the older man sleep more peacefully now.

With the combined heat of their bodies, they had shed the covers sometime during the night, needing only a light sheet for warmth despite the still-cool evening air. Tony watched the thin covering’s slow rise and fall with Jethro’s even breathing and smiled at the hand that had moved down to splay over his stomach as if he was protecting the child within even as he slept.

Tony’s fingers were positively itching to touch that belly again as well and eventually he gave into temptation, letting his hand slip down to rest lightly beside Gibbs’.

Jethro was awake instantly, fingers circling Tony’s wrist painfully and forcing it back as he shot off the mattress.

“Hey, it’s just me,” Tony hissed, grabbing the older man’s arm hard to stop him from breaking his bones.

Gibbs’ grip loosened as full consciousness hit and he immediately released Tony, collapsing back against the pillows with a groan and trying to catch his breath.

“I’m sorry,” Tony mumbled, massaging his aching hand, “I should have known better. Marine instincts and all,” he apologized. He had learned a thing or two about approaching Marines over the last few months but he hadn’t even thought about applying that knowledge to Jethro.

“Yeah,” Gibbs agreed as he scrubbed his face with his hands and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes to drive the last vestiges of sleep away from the reality of the waking world.

Tony waited for him to calm, for the ice-edge of adrenalin to ebb. Eventually Jethro turned to face him.

“Morning,” Tony said gently.

“Morning,” Gibbs agreed.

Tony thought back to the first time they had woken up beside each other. The feeling of awkwardness then had stemmed mostly from the fact that for the first time he could remember, waking up next to someone had felt…good, had felt like the right thing for him. His brain slipped into the memory of the incredible round of morning sex that had followed that awakening but he thought it best not to get his hopes up for this morning.

“Still here,” Gibbs said, moving his hand back to his belly.

He wasn’t sure whether Jethro was referring to the fact that he was still pregnant or that Tony hadn’t disappeared sometime in the night, but either way, it was true. “Still here,” he agreed, fingers reaching toward the older man’s stomach cautiously.

Tony’s tentative touch was not so violently rebuked this time. Instead he felt the deep rumble of Gibbs’ belly beneath his palm almost immediately. “Wow. Guess it’s hungry,” he smiled.

“Sorry.” Jethro actually seemed mildly embarrassed. “Breakfast is kind of a priority around here now,” he explained as the rather insistent growl subsided. “You staying?”

Tony studied him for a minute, trying to decide what Gibbs wanted him to say. Ultimately he went with his own instinct. “Guess so,” he said steadily, splaying his fingers across the curve of Jethro’s stomach.

The answer seemed to satisfy and Gibbs nodded, pushed himself up a little awkwardly and stretched stiff joints with a small grunt as he rose. Tony’s eyes traced the outline of his body against the light from the window and his morning erection went uncomfortably from a fading memory to a raging hardon in the space of a few seconds. He shifted beneath the sheets and moved to cover himself but not before Gibbs caught the tenting of the sheet above his groin. Tony didn’t miss the speculative rise of the older man’s eyebrow or the way his tongue darted out hungrily as his own dick began to thicken and lengthen slightly in response.

“This is gonna be an issue,” Gibbs warned.

“Seems so,” Tony agreed, flipping back the covers and looking up hopefully.

“Breakfast,” Jethro grunted, rolling his eyes. “Then we’ll see.”

Tony caught the smile as he turned for the bathroom without looking back.

XXX

Gibbs chewed a piece of toast to appease his growling stomach while Tony sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions and then added eggs for an omelet. It hadn’t taken too much coaxing to get Jethro to allow him to cook and the delicious smells were making his own mouth water. Pots and pans were a little hard to come by but he’d been pleasantly surprised at the selection of food in the refrigerator.

“Kid has demands,” Gibbs had explained as he scratched his stomach.

“Wow, this table has seen better days, huh?” Tony said as he set a steaming plate in front of Jethro and took a seat across from him.

“It’s a table.” He shrugged as he dug into his eggs. “After three divorces, simplifying comes easy.”

“The ex stop calling yet?” Occasionally Gibbs let slip a tidbit about his former wives and Tony had to admit he was curious. He’d filed away every scrap he could about Jethro’s personal life over the last three months and even his scraps had required some digging. Conversation with Gibbs was something new and he wasn’t exactly sure how to begin.

“Mostly,” Jethro said around a mouthful of food, looking at him appraisingly as if trying to make a decision about the direction of the dialogue and not giving any more than he had to. “S’good.” He grunted, gesturing toward his plate.

“Thanks. Spent a lot of years fending for myself. I’ve got a pretty demanding stomach too.” He smiled.

“Maybe it gets it from you.”

“Maybe,” Tony said thoughtfully. For some reason it was a pleasant idea. “So, you going to tell the ex’s about…uh…” his eyes darted down to Gibbs’ middle.

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll hear about it eventually. Fornell’s bound to find out soon which means Diane won’t be far behind. Stephanie…maybe better if she doesn’t know just yet.” His brow furrowed slightly as he chewed. “Don’t even know where… “He stopped as if realizing he had been on the verge of saying more than he intended. “Anyway, they’ll deal with it in their own ways. Wouldn’t mind seeing the look on Diane’s face though,” he grinned.

Tony watched him carefully as he raised his fork to his lips. He couldn’t tell if Gibbs was intentionally letting his guard about his past slip a little or if he’d just caught him in a vulnerable moment. “Who’s Shannon?” He tried to make the question sound offhand as he twisted his tongue around a forkful of omelet but realized almost instantly he had made a mistake.

Gibbs didn’t answer but Tony saw the hardening of his mouth, the whitening of his knuckles against the edge of the table and wished he’s kept his mouth shut.

“It’s just…you talk in your sleep and…when you said her name it just sounded so…” _Shit_. He was making it worse.

Jethro set his fork down slowly, deliberately, as if forcing himself to lower a weapon, and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He glared across the table at Tony, a glare he had only see Gibbs use on the most serious occasions when his anger was boiling just below the surface, but when he spoke, his voice was steady.

“If we’re gonna do this, DiNozzo, there are gonna be some ground rules.”

Tony didn’t respond, just sat there realizing he’d managed to fuck up already.

“The first is that there are parts of my life that are off limits to you until the minute I say they aren’t. That includes what I may or may not say in my sleep, do you understand me?” The words were clipped, hard.

“I’m sorry, Gibbs,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Do you understand?” Jethro interrupted.

Tony nodded mutely. He felt like he was getting the worst scolding of his life and he wasn’t one hundred percent clear on what he had done to deserve it but Gibbs was obviously upset.

“The second is that what happened last night is not necessarily part of the deal. I’m not stupid enough to think it will be unavoidable given our track record so far and the fact that we’re going to be spending a little more time with each other that originally planned. I may be attached to this baby but I do not come as an automatic addition and I will assume the same for you.” He seemed to be moving past the hard edge of anger but his tone was still dangerous.

“Do I get a say in any of these rules?” Tony ventured.

Gibbs contemplated him over the few feet of table between them and his face seemed to soften slightly. “Try me,” he assented.

“I know we still have to sort out the work thing but for the moment, let’s assume status quo,” he began.

Gibbs nodded and waited for him to continue.

“When we’re there you’re the Boss. I get that 100%, and I respect it. But we’re in this together. You can shut whatever doors you want in your life but you don’t shut me out where the baby is concerned, not even a little. We make decisions about things together, even the small ones, starting now. I know it’s your body and I know I barely have a right but…”

“Okay,” Jethro said quietly.

“It’s just that…”

“I said ‘ _okay_ ’, DiNozzo,” he interrupted again.

Tony blinked at him for a moment, clearly not quite comprehending.

Jethro had felt something let go inside of him while Tony spoke and it was the younger man’s passion, his clear commitment to be a part of their child’s life that diffused the shock and anger he had felt when Tony had asked about his former wife.

“I said I was prepared to do this on my own but that doesn’t mean I wanted to,” he admitted. “I was scared shitless, actually. I guess I feel better knowing there’s someone else who wants to love this baby, who will take care of it if anything…” He couldn’t bring himself to put a voice to his worst fears, “and if that means I have to put up with you being a part of the decision making process, then I guess I can live with that.”

“Good,” Tony said soberly. “I’m scared shitless too, you know,” he added.

“I figured.”

They sat in silence for a minute.

“What about work, Gibbs? I have to be honest, I never thought the idea of being a Navy cop would be even remotely appealing but I don’t want to give it up now. And I really don’t want to give up working with you either. You have to admit we have a certain…kismet when it comes to working a case.”

“I suppose that’s one way of putting it,” he agreed grudgingly. Tony wasn’t wrong. As unorthodox as their relationship was, the professional parts of it worked better than almost any other he had ever known. He’d felt a resonance with Tony from the first moment they met and an instinctive trust that he had rarely found in his life. “But if we want to tell people that you’re the father, I don’t know that either one of us is going to be given a choice in the matter.”

Tony thought about this for a moment. “What if I wasn’t?” he proposed, “the baby’s father, I mean. _We_ know I am but that doesn’t mean anyone else has to. For now, anyway.”

“How do you feel about that?” He didn’t think it was the best idea but their options were fairly limited if they wanted to keep working together for the time being.

“Don’t like it any more than you do probably but until we come up with something better…” He shrugged.

“There’s gonna be speculation, Tony. People know when we met. They know I was in Baltimore. Won’t take too much to put things together if they start thinking,” he cautioned.

“So let them speculate,” he shrugged. “Hey, if you tell me to, I will stand up on the rooftop and tell people it’s my kid. You may not know this but you’re quite a catch, Gibbs. People find out that we…uhh…, well, let’s just say my man cred goes up 200%.” He winked at Jethro who managed to look both amused and menacing.

“Okay, let’s stick with not telling for the moment. But if you change your mind, we’ll talk first.” There was no question there.

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility to tell people you planned this, Gibbs. I mean, men of a certain age sometimes…I mean, they have clinics for this sort of thing,” Tony suggested.

“You want me to tell people I stuck some frozen sperm up my ass to get pregnant?” Jethro scoffed.

“It might stop the office chatter. Buy us some more time to figure things out.” He shrugged. “It was just a suggestion.”

Gibbs thought about it for a while as he contemplated Tony silently. “Okay,” he finally agreed. “But my plan now is to say nothing about the father. If it comes to it, I’ll lie. Unless we decide otherwise.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

They were both silent for a minute, neither sure quite where to go next. It was Tony who finally broke the peace.

“I have one more thing,” he ventured tentatively.

“And we were doing so well, DiNozzo.” Gibbs sounded wary.

“I know you said you don’t necessarily come as part of the package and I get that, Gibbs, I do. But what if…” he searched for an approach that wouldn’t automatically be shut off, laid his palm face up on the table in a gesture of supplication. “There’s something here, Jethro, and I don’t think either one of us is fucked up enough to try denying it.”

“No,” Gibbs agreed reluctantly, not sure he liked where Tony was going.

“We have 23 weeks, give or take, before we bring a child into the world,” he continued despite Jethro’s obvious caution. “Don’t you think we owe it to him or her to at least _try_ to see if there’s a way we can make that happen…together?” He had to work really hard to keep his eyes focused on Gibbs’ and not retreat. Jethro looked at him as if trying to see beneath his words.

“I don’t date co-workers,” he said finally, realizing how lame the words sounded as they left his tongue.

Tony laughed then. Really laughed. “So you’ll fuck me and you’ll have my kid but you won’t date me? I’m sorry, Gibbs but do you know just how crazy that is?” He couldn’t help it, the laughter just kept coming.

“Tony,” Jethro warned, clearly unamused.

He swiped at his eyes which had begun to tear up and tried to calm himself.

“I don’t have relationships with men,” Gibbs tried again but this excuse sounded even less credible.

“Neither do I. Not once. I mean, I’ve fucked a few. More than a few if you count college, but I never even considered a relationship.” He opened his hand once more and saw Jethro’s eyes flicker downward this time. “And see that’s the crazier thing here, Gibbs. Because I _don’t_ stay the night, I _don’t_ cook breakfast, and I _don’t_ spend time thinking about the next time I’m going to get to be close to the guy I’m with, just so I can touch him, smell him, fucking _taste_ him again. But with you…Don’t tell me that’s not worth something.” He left it hanging there, waiting for Jethro to give him anything at all.

Somewhere in the silence of the house, a clock was ticking and it counted the seemingly endless seconds. Finally, something shifted. Tony watched the twitching muscles of Gibbs shoulders and held his breath as the older man’s fingers skated tentatively across his palm. It wasn’t an answer but it was a beginning.


	6. Working

“This is going to be complicated.” Jethro contemplated Tony’s open palm as his fingers lightly traced its lined surface.

“I know,” Tony agreed. He made no move to grasp the hand that was gently exploring his own.

“I don’t like complicated,” Gibbs warned. For some reason he was unable to pull his hand back. What Tony was suggesting, offering, went so deeply against who he was, how he behaved both personally and professionally and yet he felt a distinctly pleasant warmth spreading in his gut at the mere thought of it.

Tony watched the older man thoughtfully for a moment. Gibbs’ mouth said one thing but the touch of his hands, the way his body had inclined forward said something else entirely. “What do you like, Jethro?”

If DiNozzo hadn’t sounded genuinely interested the line might have come off as cheesy. As it was, the heat of it, the way Tony said his name so familiarly, had the fire in his belly trying to spread around his hips. With tremendous restraint, he slowly withdrew the palm that had spanned out to kiss Tony’s on the flat of the table and pushed himself back, holding DiNozzo’s eyes. “Slow,” he said steadily. “I like slow.”

Tony followed Jethro’s retreating back as he headed for the stairs. “I can do slow.”

Gibbs turned to study him carefully from the bottom step, weighing the sincerity of his words and then began to silently ascend.

Tony thought he was being dismissed until Jethro’s t-shirt landed in a small beckoning heap on the floor.

“You coming?” The disembodied voice called.

“Oh yeah.” Tony smiled and took the stairs two at a time.

* * *

 

The water on his shoulders was just short of scalding and steam filled his lungs with each sharp intake of breath as he fucked Gibbs in long rolling thrusts against the smooth tile of the shower.

“This your idea…of slow?” he panted, muscles burning with the effort of restraint as he tried to focus on anything but the tight grip of Gibbs’ body around him and the delicious softly straining grunts that echoed in the space of the stall.

Jethro responded with a low moan and leaned forward, changing the angle of Tony’s entry just slightly as he began to tug frantically at his dick.

Tony grabbed the older man’s hips, slipped his hands around to his curved belly and cradled it in his palms as he curled in, sank his teeth into Gibbs’ shoulder. His orgasm took him tight and hard, an echo of the heat that pulsed and tightened and rippled around his cock as Jethro painted the tiled wall with thick spurts that were quickly washed away.

When the aftershocks began to fade he pulled out carefully and let the water flowing down his body cleanse him.

Gibbs turned and Tony pinned him to the wall, carefully angling his lower body away from his bump. Jethro’s mouth was soft and yielding as he flicked his tongue against parted lips, nibbled and sucked and teased until the water began to go tepid. “I think I like slow,” he murmured, nipping at Gibbs’ bottom lip before reaching behind him to turn off the faucet.

* * *

 

The buzz of Gibbs’ cell phone startled them from where they had collapsed, wet and tangled atop the sheets, in a post coital haze.

Jethro reached behind him to the night stand. “Gibbs,” he answered gruffly, fingers continuing to card idly through Tony’s hair.

DiNozzo lay with his head resting against Gibbs’ chest. His hand traced a lazy circle around the older man’s belly and the soothing caress had had Jethro nearly purring in contentment a moment ago.

“Yeah,” Gibbs said into the receiver, “on my way.” He snapped the phone shut.

“I’m guessing that wasn’t someone calling to offer you a great deal on a cruise?”

“Nope. Time to get dressed. We’ve got work to do. Got another dumpster toss. Looks like a similar MO to Jake Barnes, our dumped lieutenant. This one’s a former Ensign.”

Tony leaned down and kissed the Jethro’s belly fleetingly. “Gotta go to work, kid,” he said as he pushed himself up. Gibbs’ eyes were soft, speculative as he retreated. “What?” he smiled down at him sheepishly.

“Nothin’, DiNozzo. Nothin’ at all,” he said thickly, an amused grin turning up the corners of his mouth.

They dressed quickly, Tony in the same clothes he’d worn yesterday. It wouldn’t be a first for him and he doubted anyone would even notice. He could toss on a fresh shirt from the small stock he’d already begun to accumulate once he arrived at his desk. When he emerged from the bathroom after searching in vain for a spare toothbrush he stopped for a moment and leaned against the doorframe, watching as Jethro finished getting dressed.

Rather than the barely concealing blazers that had comprised his wardrobe over the last several weeks, Gibbs had donned a dark burgundy button down that hugged his expanding middle and was tucked into cargo pants belted below the curve of his belly. “I like it,” Tony grinned appreciatively. “You look hot.”

“I look fat,” Jethro disagreed, though not unhappily.

“You look pregnant, Gibbs. There’s a difference. It’s subtle but it’s there.” He wasn’t lying. Even passing Jethro as a stranger on the street Tony didn’t think he would have mistaken the distinct baby bump for something else.

Crossing to the bed, Tony sat down to put on his socks as Gibbs went to the dusty dresser in the corner and retrieved what looked like a photograph from its surface.

“Thought you might want this. It’s okay if you don’t but I have another one if you do,” he offered somewhat awkwardly.

Tony looked down at the black and white image and felt his breath catch. “Oh my God,” he breathed, his finger moving immediately to trace the curved outline of his child’s body as his vision went blurry. “It looks like a baby already.” He looked up at Jethro. “Kinda thought it would just look like a crazy alien or something at this point but it’s really a baby.” His eyes were drawn back to the ultrasound photo.

“It’s quite a bit bigger by now, I guess.” His hand went to his stomach, unable to explain the nervous butterflies that were currently dancing inside.

Tony looked up at Gibbs in awe and swiped in embarrassment at the tear that managed to escape down his cheek. “It’s amazing. Thank you.”

Jethro nodded mutely and turned away, unwilling to let Tony see that his moist eyes were contagious. He cursed his burgeoning hormones and grabbed his wallet from the nightstand. “Let’s go to work.”

* * *

 

If Gibbs thought people would speculate given his sudden and more revealing choice of wardrobe, he put all conjecture aside when he stalked off the elevator, pulled his copy of the ultrasound from his pocket and pinned it nonchalantly to the center of his cubicle wall.

Tony had to bite his cheeks hard to keep the grin from his face.

“What do we have, DiNozzo?”

Tony pushed himself back and crossed to the center of the bullpen. “Russell Jackson, age 36. Former US Navy Ensign was found dead in an alley off 30th and Q Street near Georgetown. Kinda fancy part of town, Boss.” He raised an eyebrow at Gibbs. “Couple of the DC Metro cops that responded happened to be at our scene a few weeks back and thought it looked too similar to be coincidence. Ran the guy’s prints and called us when he turned up former Navy.”

“Anything at the scene?” Gibbs marveled at the way they could slip so easily into these roles after what had transpired over the last 24 hours. The niggling voice at the back of his head that kept telling him he was making a he mistake was suddenly shouting a little more quietly.

“Balboa and his team took the call. Evidence is being logged in and the body is on its way to Ducky. Preliminary ballistics shows a similar caliber weapon but there was no gun found nearby. Still doing interviews at the bar the guy was at last night but they haven’t found a murder weapon.”

“Any connection to our dead lieutenant?” Jethro put a hand to his stomach. He had to admit, there was something compelling about the way DiNozzo gave a run down but the little butterfly feeling from earlier had returned while the younger man spoke and it was making him uncomfortable.

Tony flashed a self-satisfied grin. “You’re gonna love this, Boss. Jackson and our lieutenant went to OCS together _and_ served on the Reagan in the same Helo squadron. Jackson resigned when it came time to re-up two years ago, just before Barnes was promoted to Lieutenant.”

“Start with everyone else in that squadron and track down alibis for both our murders. Then get me a list of everyone in that OCS graduating class.” He was elated to have a new set of leads in a case he had been about ready to send to the stacks but another victim wasn’t exactly his choice of opening.

“On it, Boss.” Tony’s fingers began tapping rapidly against his keyboard.

“I’ll be with Abby.” He pushed back from his desk and headed for the elevator, head coming up as he felt eyes on him. Morrow was watching from the second story, his face unreadable. As he watched, the Director’s eyes shifted purposefully to DiNozzo and Gibbs knew that Morrow, never to be underestimated, had begun to gather his thoughts on the paternity of Jethro’s child. Perhaps they would have to put Tony’s idea into play a bit sooner than he had hoped.

* * *

 

“Finally coming out of the closet, Gibbs?” Abby asked excitedly as she took in his more form-fitting attire.

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t get me wrong, your collection of boring sport coats is legendary but something about this look suits you.” Her fingers glanced fleetingly off the curve of his belly as she deliberately reached out, the first time in the last three weeks that she had dared to do so. Her eyes widened when she realized what she had done, as if the gesture had been unconscious. “I am SO sorry, Gibbs. I should ask, I know, it’s just…”

 “Guess I should get used to it,” he interrupted her. “This thing seems to be a magnet already and I’m guessing it will only get worse. Just try not to do it in front of anyone?” he pleaded.

“I promise. Does that mean I can..?” she asked hopefully.

“Get it out of your system. You have exactly 30 seconds and then I want everything you have so far.”

Abby squealed and planted her hands on his bump in a gesture similar to Tony’s the previous night. He was thankful that his dick had enough restraint not to have the same reaction.

“God, pregnant men are so sexy. All that hard muscle and baby belly. Super hot.”

“Abby…” he warned, suddenly feeling more than a little awkward.

“Couple more weeks and you’re really gonna start popping out all over the place, Gibbs. It’s just so exciting!” she purred.

“Okay, enough.” He stepped back out of her reach and gently swept her hands away. “Ballistics?”

“I’ll need to run it to be sure but first glance says we’re looking at the same weapon.” She held up the bullet in its glass jar.

“Great, now what I need is the gun that fired it.”

“Can’t help you there but I may have something as good. They pulled a clothing scrap off the worn metal around the edge of the dumpster and it does NOT match our victim’s. Also looks fresh, not exposed to the elements for very long. There’s some discoloration on the outside edge that looks like it might be blood. Running it through mass spec right now. If it is, I should be able to pull DNA. If I can, it would help to have something to match it against,” she looked up at him hopefully.

“DiNozzo’s narrowing down a list as we speak.”

She raised an eyebrow at the mention of Tony’s name. “So can I assume this belly reveal means dad #2 is in the know? How did he take it? I mean, he’s still here and not dead so I assume it went well?” Her eyes danced and she was practically standing on her tip toes in giddy anticipation.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Even as the words were out of his mouth he knew they were pointless.

“Tony, of course. I mean, I didn’t exactly peg him as the paternal type when I first realized but I have to admit, he’s growing on me. And I really can’t blame you. Tight jeans and a leather jacket and I would _totally_ hit that. If he wasn’t a co-worker. Oh, and your baby daddy, of course.” She grinned wickedly.

“What in the hell would make you think DiNozzo was the father?” He tried to sound incredulous but he knew that he was had and there was no power in it.

Abby sighed. “All this time and you still underestimate me, Gibbs?” She shook her head. “Okay, start with the fact that from the minute you brought him into my lab I could tell you guys had done it. It was the subtle things, personal space, the way his eyes followed your ass around the room, those little head slaps you give him? And sometimes when he’s not watching I see you thinking about it. Your face gets a little flushed and your pulse picks up. It’s not noticeable unless you’re really looking for it but I’m always looking. Can’t help it, it’s just what I do.” She smiled. “Sometimes, when you stand really close to him? I can actually _feel_ the little pheromones and chemicals zipping around in the space between you.”

“Then, add the fact that you’re a little over 17 weeks given when you suddenly became MUCH less caffeinated and I don’t need a DNA test to tell me Tony’ s 99.999% likely to be the father.” She crossed her arms as if daring Gibbs to defy her logic. “Oh. And you had sex last night. Maybe this morning.” She leaned forward and sniffed at his collar accusingly.

He looked at her steadily. “This isn’t a game we’re playing Abby. There will be real consequences for Tony it somehow gets out before we have a plan to deal with it, maybe for me too.”

Her eyes went wide at the grave tone in his voice. “Gibbs, I would never. Never ever, you know that.”

“I know Abbs.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “But just remember there’s more at stake than just our jobs, okay?”

Abby nodded, knowing that words were of little use at this point.

“Let DiNozzo know when you get a positive ballistics match. I’ll be with Ducky.” Once out in the hall he paused to take a deep breath. How could keeping one secret possibly be this hard already?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the wonderful comments thus far. I'm still amazed that people love this story as they do and I am glad this is finding a new audience on this site!


	7. Quickening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read this fic through a bunch of times and this continues to be one of my fave chapters. How cute are they?

****

**18 weeks**

Jethro was pouring over a seemingly endless pile of files when he noticed headlights pull up to the curb outside and assumed the identity of his unheralded visitor. Tony had been surprisingly good about allowing him space since their initial night together but that may have had something to do with the fact that they’d spent nearly every waking moment chasing down one alibi and false lead after another and conducting exhaustive interviews with friends and family of both victims. The most frustrating part was the fact that they were sitting on potential DNA evidence but with nothing to match it against, it was virtually useless unless they managed to get very very lucky. At the end of every day both he and DiNozzo had been too mentally and physically exhausted to think of much but heading home.

Gibbs had always been a bit of an insomniac, too high strung to relax unless his body and mind had been pushed to their limits, but with the extra strain of pregnancy, he’d crawled into bed every night this week –a real bed now- and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. The only things that woke him were the often urgent stress on his bladder and his inability to find a comfortable position for more than a few hours at a time. Even his basement had been woefully neglected while they worked this wearisome case.

He set the file he was currently re-reading on top of the others and pulled off his glasses, rubbing furiously at tired eyes. Jethro realized he had spent most of his Saturday planted here on his couch, trying to convince his gut that the two murders could, in fact, be nothing more than a strange and unfortunate coincidence. But with one shooter, two acquaintances, and no apparent motive, it just wasn’t working and yet he still felt no closer to an answer than he had over seven weeks ago.

The smooth click of the door latching was followed by muffled curses and the crinkling of what sounded like several paper bags.

Tony emerged around the corner awkwardly, balancing numerous items including his backpack which had slipped down his shoulder and was creating even more chaos.

Gibbs could have offered a hand but instead sat back hiding an amused grin as DiNozzo lurched toward him and finally dropped his burdens unceremoniously on the coffee table, sending his neatly stacked files sliding avalanche-style off the side.

“Sorry,” he said guiltily, letting his pack fall from his shoulder to land leadenly on the hardwood as he bent to retrieve the errant paperwork.

“What in the hell is all this?” Jethro groused, both curious and irritated.

“I…uh…well, I sort of went shopping.” Tony ran a hand through his hair and indicated the bags.

“I can see that, DiNozzo. What were you shopping for?” He pushed himself forward and winced at the twinge in his back from sitting unsupported in one position for too long.

“It started out as just books. You know, pregnancy books? I mean, we’re both new at all of this so I thought it might be a good idea to find out what’s in store.” He looked at Jethro hopefully.

“Okay,” Gibbs agreed. There was a tiny stab of guilt somewhere in his belly because, of course, he _had_ been through this before, only not as the one carrying the child. Jethro had been absent for the largest part of Shannon’s pregnancy with Kelly and overall it was a vague but pleasant memory. But he wasn’t ready to give that piece of himself to Tony.

 Not just yet.

Maybe not ever.

Actually, Tony’s thought was a good one. He’d been meaning to do something similar himself now that his belly seemed to be making itself more and more known almost on a daily basis, but so far he had settled for a few handfuls of brochures at his last doctor’s visit. “What about the rest of it?”

“Well, when I started reading a little in the store there were all these things they suggested having on hand so I…I just sort of bought all of them.” He pushed one of the bags toward Jethro.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow uncertainly at Tony but dipped his hand into the bag and pulled out the first thing his fingers lit on. It was a long elastic strap of some kind. “What is this?”

“It’s for under your…” Tony moved his hands low across his own flat stomach, “you know, to help your back when you get bigger.”

Gibbs grunted in acknowledgement. He was sort of keeping his mind off the ‘bigger’ part. His back was already aching furiously by the end of most days spent on his feet. The next item he brought out immediately sent a wave of heat rushing up to his cheeks when his eyes focused on the discreet lettering. “Nipple cream?” he croaked.

“It’s for later,” Tony said sheepishly. “The book says that a lot of men experience chaffing and sensitivity as their nipples get...”

“DiNozzo, I’m only going to say this one time. My _nipples_ are none of your god damn business.” His jaw was tight but it was more from embarrassment than anger. There was no question that his whole chest was definitely more sensitive and tender now but it wasn’t something he was in any way prepared to admit to.

“Got it.” Tony tried to suppress his grin but the corners of his mouth still twitched.

Jethro withdrew several more items. Tony had picked out organic cleaning products, unscented shampoos and body washes, something called ‘Belly Butter’ which actually sounded pretty good given how itchy his stomach had become as it swelled, and several other tubes and contraptions he had no intention of discussing the uses for with the younger man. The fact that DiNozzo had thought about his need for all of these things was both touching and a little weird. “Ginger chews?” he inquired. At least this was one of the less personal products.

“For nausea. I know you’re a big fan of that disgusting gum but these are supposed to be really great.”

“Kinda hoping I’m done with that for the moment.” Certain smells still reliably brought on queasiness but he seemed to be feeling better and better as the weeks passed.

“Better safe than sorry, I guess.” Tony shrugged. “Listen, I know this is a lot.” He moved over and took a seat next to Gibbs on the couch. “I just…I needed to do something to feel like I’m a part of this too.”

Jethro was moved by Tony’s sincerity and the fact that his initial blush of interest in their child and his pregnancy did not seem to be fading. Feeling a little foolish, he reached down, took Tony’s hand and placed it on his stomach. “You are a part of this.”

DiNozzo’s beaming grin lit up his entire face and Gibbs felt the crazy popcorn bounces in his stomach he’d been noticing at odd times over the last week pick up in intensity a little. Something finally dawned on him and he tried to focus in on the sensation.

“Are you okay?” Tony withdrew his hand at the strange look on Gibbs’ face.

“Yeah.” His voice sounded a little far away. “I think…” he began. The fluttering had diminished with the removal of the light pressure of DiNozzo’s hand on his belly and he tugged it back and placed his own over the top of it. “I think I feel it moving,” he said in awe.

Tony’s brows knit together as he focused on the hard curve of Gibbs’ bump beneath his palm. “I can’t feel anything,” he said in disappointment after a few minutes.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to yet.” He shook his head. The bizarre sensation continued unabated right beneath the heat of Tony’s hand. “It feels so weird. Not like I expected. It’s like little bubbles or something.”

The feel of DiNozzo’s fingers against the back of his neck made him turn just in time to catch the younger man’s lips as Tony kissed him gently. For the first time, the feeling of Tony’s mouth on his didn’t seem to have anything at all to do with carnal desires, merely the need for connection in a moment that was far more intimate than any of their sexual exploits thus far.

Jethro cleared his throat a bit awkwardly as they broke apart. There was a distant yet familiar feeling in his chest that made him unexplainably nervous. “So, what’s in the other bag?” He needed a distraction from the delightful feeling of Tony’s touch and he needed it quickly.

DiNozzo smiled broadly. “Dinner,” he said with a wink.

* * *

 

“Pretty damn good.” The comment was high praise by Gibbs’ standards. He set his fork down on his plate, which had virtually been licked clean, spread his legs out under the table, and rested a hand on his belly in contentment.

“Thanks.” Tony tried to hide the tiny thrill a compliment from Jethro gave him. “Told you I had a bit of a demanding stomach.” Between them they had polished off half of the lasagna, almost all of the eggplant parmesan, and several slices of garlic bread. He was stuffed.

“Where’d you pick up the cooking skills?” Jethro was feeling very relaxed and his eyes felt as heavy as his stomach.

Tony shrugged. “Might just be in the genes.”

Gibbs could tell there was something else he wanted to say and he remained silent. Either Tony would share or he wouldn’t.

“My mom…” he finally began, haltingly, “I used to help her in the kitchen when I was little, I guess.” He looked up at Gibbs. “She died when I was eight. But you probably know that from reading my files.”

In fact he did, but hearing DiNozzo say it, hearing the pain that seemed to be still hovering just below the surface after so many years, felt different somehow. “I do.” He confirmed. “You wanna tell me about her?” Jethro asked gently.

Tony thought about this for a minute and shook his head. “Not really. Been thinking about her a little these last couple of weeks though,” he confessed. “Thinking I’d want to tell her about this if she was around.” His eyes flickered down to Jethro’s belly.

“Your Dad?” Gibbs questioned, even though he was pretty certain of what Tony’s answer would be.

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Maybe after it’s born. I don’t know. I feel like he should know there’s another generation of DiNozzo genes floating around out there even if he wants as little to do with a grandchild as he has his son for the last two decades.” He contemplated Gibbs for a moment. “What about you?”

It was dangerous territory and he still wasn’t sure how much he was ready to open up to Tony just yet. Maybe it was the younger man’s naked sincerity about his own feelings or maybe it was just hormones but Jethro was feeling the need to reciprocate in some way. “Don’t really talk to my Dad,” he admitted quietly. “Haven’t seen eye to eye about a lot of things in my life or his. Doubt we would on this.” He stroked the curve of his stomach. “But like you said, maybe after it’s born.” It honestly wasn’t something he had thought about until this moment but somehow he felt that Tony was right. Perhaps Jackson did deserve to know eventually.

Tony waited to see if Gibbs was going to be forthcoming with anything else but when the older man remained silent, he knew confession time was over, at least for the night. It wasn’t a bad start, actually.

“So this was pretty good,” he hazarded, “for a first date, I mean.”

“This was a date?” Jethro raised an eyebrow.

“Well, it _could_ be considered a date.” He wiped his mouth and set his napkin on his empty plate. “I brought you gifts.”

“You brought me nipple cream,” Gibbs grunted.

“I cooked you a delicious dinner.” He ignored Jethro’s interruption. “Most people would consider that date-like.”

Gibbs studied him thoughtfully. “Okay,” he said finally. “It was a date.”

Tony beamed.

“You know most people would also do the dishes after making a mess of someone else’s kitchen,” he said pointedly.

“Always part of my plan, Jethro.” Tony pushed himself away from the table and began to clear the dishes with a flourish.

* * *

 

Gibbs got up and helped Tony by putting away the leftovers while the younger man filled the sink with soapy water. It was self-serving in several ways, actually. He was afraid that if he sat much longer he was going to fall asleep and the leftovers meant dinner without effort tomorrow night, and perhaps a few nights after. Moving also helped settle his food in his stomach and he felt a little less like he was going to explode. His belly looked bigger than ever with the combination of food and baby and it was currently itching like mad.

Tony was still humming away at the sink when he slipped into the living room and began pawing through the bag DiNozzo had brought. Eventually he extracted the jar of stuff that called itself ‘Belly Butter’ and screwed the lid off of it, sniffing the contents warily. To his surprise and relief, it wasn’t a floral feminine scent, in fact it didn’t have much smell at all, just a light fragrance that reminded him of the beach for some reason.

He pushed down his sweats, lifted his t-shirt to expose his bump and extracted a finger full of the thick cream.

“Gibbs, where do you keep the extra…” Tony poked his head into the living room, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

Jethro watched the younger man’s eyes instantly darken with a new hunger at the sight of his exposed skin. “It itches,” he said lamely, still a little uncomfortable with Tony’s undeniable interest in his expanding middle.

DiNozzo moved into the room, tossing the towel onto a chair. “Can I help with that?”

“If you really want to.” He held out his hand as Tony moved in beside him and offered the cream he had been about to make use of.

Tony rubbed the thick lotion between his palms to warm and thin it and then placed them on either side of Jethro’s belly. His small circles were hesitant at first but when Gibbs let slip a little moan of pleasure, he grew bolder. “Take your shirt off,” it was more of a plea than a command.

Jethro did as he asked without even thinking about it. The hands on his flesh were so warm and tender, the thick lotion so soothing to his stretched skin and everything about it just felt so fucking _good_ that he didn’t hesitate.

Tony loved the feeling of the softly curved bump sliding firm and slick and slippery beneath his fingers.  His hands never ceased their gentle caress while he slowly leaned forward, pressing Jethro into the couch as he lowered his mouth to the side of the older man’s throat and traced a thick tendon downward with his lips. Gibbs’ hands moved to his shoulders and Tony saw that he had closed his eyes. But the way his tongue darted out to moisten his lips said Jethro was anything but sleepy at the moment.

Kissing his way across warm skin, Tony tasted the hollow of Gibbs’ throat, memorized the curve of his collar bone with his tongue, and nosed through thick curls of silver hair until his lips closed around a peaked nipple.

“Oh _fuck_.” His hands shot into Tony’s hair, anchored the younger man to his chest as a thick bolt of electricity raced down his spine at the feel of moist heat tugging gently against overly sensitive erectile flesh. His body had never reacted like this before. Each swipe of Tony’s tongue sent a fresh surge of heat straight to his cock and he felt completely caught up in the unexpected power of it.

Encouraged, DiNozzo suckled greedily, pulling long and hard on the puckered nub and rolling it between his teeth only to gently lave the hurt with the flat of his tongue in an endless repetitive cycle.

“Fuck…oh shit…jesus…don’t stop…oh _please_ ,” Gibbs begged wantonly as the work of Tony’s mouth made every nerve in his body sing. His dick was painfully hard against the soft inside of his sweats and he rolled his hips to thrust against the yielding fabric, desperate for any stimulation. Almost at once he felt DiNozzo’s hand tugging at his waistband and he lifted up, both relieved and disappointed when his cock sprang free. He ached for some kind of deeper friction but he couldn’t bring himself to free his own hands from the hair at Tony’s nape, to let go of the only thing that seemed to be anchoring him to the world at the moment.

Tony was lost in Jethro’s reaction to his touch, too caught up in the pleasure the older man was taking from him to spare more than a passing thought to his own swollen cock. His tongue and his teeth worked in torturous tandem, nipping and rasping simultaneously while his hands continued to move in sloppy circles against Gibbs’ slickened belly. Finally, sensing desperation in the way Jethro’s fingertips curled fitfully against his neck, he shifted his mouth to the other nipple and brought his fingers up to tweak and pinch at the one he had just abandoned. At the same time his other hand reached down to firmly grasp Jethro’s cock and give him what he had now begun to quietly and repetitively beg for.

The feeling of Tony’s fist finally closing around him brought his hips completely off the couch as he thrust brokenly into the slippery embrace. He couldn’t ever remember feeling need so selfish, so intensely hot and demanding, but he was far beyond the point of caring. The only thing that existed was the sublime heat of Tony’s mouth, the sweet embrace of the younger man’s long fingers around his cock.

Jethro’s entire body shook and stuttered as he found the precipice of release and let his orgasm take him. The choked roar at the initial convulsion of it left his throat raw and he felt thick and sticky trails of cum land high up on his belly as Tony’s fist pumped him unrelentingly through the indescribably pleasant contractions that left him utterly drained and sated. Even as he continued to quake with gentle aftershocks, he felt Tony’s mouth move down his chest and moaned his satisfaction softly when the younger man’s greedy tongue flicked out to lick the still-warm cum from his belly.

“Delicious,” DiNozzo murmured happily when he finally raised his head.

“Mmm…” Jethro wasn’t even really sure what he was agreeing to. His whole body suddenly felt very heavy.

“Guess this stuff is good for more than just bellies.” He reached over and put the lid back on the jar, making a mental note to buy stock in the stuff.

“Sorry you didn’t…” Jethro’s eyes fluttered open lazily and drifted down to his still-straining erection.

“It’s okay. Never seen you so…” He wasn’t sure he had words for just how erotic he found it when Jethro totally lost himself.

“Yeah,” Gibbs scrubbed his hands over his face and took a deep, shaky breath, trying to rouse himself and hide his embarrassment at the same time.

“Anyway, it was worth it. But I think we need to get you upstairs before you fall asleep,” Tony chucked lightly, pushing himself up and tugging gently at Jethro’s arms. “Go ahead,” he said when Gibbs was on his feet with his pants pulled up to a more decent position, “I’ll turn everything off and meet you up there.”

“Stay,” Jethro said muzzily around a yawn, letting his fingers trace lightly across DiNozzo’s shoulder.

“If you want,” Tony agreed, secretly thrilled that Gibbs was asking this time.

“Think you need a new shirt,” Jethro mumbled as he turned for the stairs.

He looked down at the one he was wearing which now had several suspicious stains across the front of it. “Yeah,” he laughed, “I guess so.”

Gibbs disappeared to the upper level and Tony checked the stove and flicked off all the lights, grabbing the last of the things he had purchased for Jethro from where he had dropped it at the front door on his way in. The body length pillow was awkward but not heavy and he took the stairs two at a time, not surprised to find Gibbs already spread out atop the covers when he made it to the bedroom they had shared the time before.

Tony laid the pillow on the bed next to Jethro before grabbing a blanket and tucking it in around him. There was a vulnerability about Gibbs when he slept, a peacefulness that was never present any other time and he marveled at the dichotomy that existed within the man who was now the father of his child.

When he made his way to the small bathroom, he smiled when he saw that a new, cellophane wrapped toothbrush was waiting for him near the sink. Before making use of it though, he stripped off his clothes and quickly attended to his still insistent erection, coming silently after an embarrassingly brief time to the memory of Jethro’s pleading moans and the taste of the older man’s cum still lingering on his tongue.

Once he had cleaned up and brushed most of the garlic taste from his mouth, he climbed under the covers beside Jethro to find that Gibbs had embraced the new pillow like a long lost lover, wrapping his arms and legs around it, and was now snoring softly. Tony moved up against Jethro and slipped his arm around him, feeling a deeper sense of contentment with this particular moment in his life than he had imagined possible.

“Hell of a first date, Gibbs,” he whispered as sleep took him.


	8. Hurting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This begins a three chapter arc that coaxed many tears while I was writing it.

****

**20 Weeks**

“For the last time, Tony, you can come back in after he’s done. Trust me, you won’t be missing anything.” Jethro literally pushed the younger man out of the exam room door despite his continued protests. DiNozzo had been disappointed that Gibbs wanted a little privacy for the physical exam portion of his 20 week check-up but there were some things a man just needed to do alone.

Once Tony was safely on his way to the waiting area, he turned back to Reed apologetically. “Sorry about that.”

“No need.” Reed waved him off. “I’m glad to see he’s enthusiastic. I take it you two have come to an understanding.”

The raven haired doctor made some notes as Jethro pushed himself up onto the table awkwardly. He was certainly past the point of hopping now. “For the moment,” Gibbs agreed grudgingly.

“I’m happy to have his medical history and I’m sure you’re happy to have the support.” He raised an eyebrow as he pulled on a pair of gloves.

“Some days more than others,” Jethro grunted, leaning back and putting his heels in the stirrups. He wouldn’t say he was getting used to the humiliation that accompanied these exams but at least he was becoming more familiar with the protocol.

“Your weight and your blood pressure both look good, Jethro. And you said you’re feeling movement now?” Reed’s fingers worked their way gently around his distended abdomen.

“For the last couple weeks. But more and more noticeable, yeah. At least to me.” There was still nothing to feel on the outside of his stomach and Tony was anxiously awaiting the moment when he would be able to feel the little kicks and jerks for himself.

“Anything else unusual?” He coaxed Jethro’s knees apart. “Just relax a little bit, we’re almost done. Any pain during intercourse or spotting afterwards?”

Jethro colored in embarrassment but knew he had to give an honest answer. “No. Pretty normal.” Gibbs hesitated. “Maybe a little better than normal” he finally admitted. “Is that..?”

“Normal?” Reed chuckled. “I get a lot of Dad’s who report that their sex drive is higher than usual during their second trimester, yes. And with all the changes in your body it’s expected that you might be a little more sensitive. Not exactly the worst problem to have. Anything aside from that?”

“Just some soreness in my back on long days. I suppose that’s only going to get worse from here,” he sighed.

“You can go ahead and sit up now.” Reed pushed himself back and stripped off his gloves. “I recommend a low heating pad and good back support whenever you can. There are some products I can show you that might help,” he offered.

“Pretty sure I’ve got that covered.” Jethro thought of the pile of still mostly unused accoutrement Tony had supplied him with a few weeks ago.

“It’s also not too early to start thinking about a birth plan. There are a lot of options available and I can recommend hospitals and birthing centers in the area that specialize in male delivery. Have you given any thought to how you’d like to give birth? If you’re thinking natural at all you’ll want to get signed up for classes in the next few weeks. I know September seems like a long way away but it will be here before you know it,” Reed pressed.

“Can I get back to you?” Jethro asked, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. “It’s kind of a lot to think about. Can’t say I’m really crazy about the idea of being strapped down to a bed while I squeeze this thing out.” He winced at the thought of it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the idea of pain that made his shoulders rise, he _was_ a Marine, after all. What he didn’t like was the thought of being all trussed up in an unfamiliar place, while unfamiliar people treated him like a side show or an invalid and told him to bear down and breathe unrelentingly while he pushed something the size of a bowling ball out of an opening the width of a pencil.

“Sure,” Reed nodded. “I have some literature I can give you from a few locations. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. If you don’t have any other concerns, we’ll get set up for the ultrasound. I suspect there’s someone waiting rather impatiently for that.”

“You have no idea.” Tony had been giddy for the last week and it was all he could do to keep him focused half the time. “Thanks for fitting us in so late on a Friday. Like I said, it’s complicated.” Reed had arranged the appointment after hours as a favor so that both he and Tony could be present without arousing any more suspicion with their combined absences.

“Glad you could both be here. If you don’t mind my saying so, I can see a change in you since your last appointment, Jethro.”The doctor approached his side hesitantly. He knew Jethro Gibbs was not a man who discussed his private life willingly.

“Yeah, I’m getting huge.” Gibbs set a hand on his rounded belly and attempted to steer the conversation away from uncomfortable territory.

“He’s good for you, Jethro,” Reed pressed. “It would take a fool to ignore that.” He moved toward the door without further comment but his point had been made.

“Just how well _do_ you know Ducky, Doc,” Gibbs mumbled to the physician’s departing back.

* * *

 

“A little space, DiNozzo?” Tony was practically crawling over him in his effort to see the still blurry images on the screen. Suddenly the sound of a rapidly pounding heartbeat filled the room and the younger man froze and listened intently.

“Is it…is it supposed to be that fast?” he asked in hushed awe.

Reed smiled at him and nodded. “Absolutely. Fetal heartbeats are quite a bit faster than normal adults’.” The tech continued to move the ultrasound wand around the gelled mound of Jethro’s belly. “Okay, here we go.”

Tony watched intently as the monitor showed the clearly recognizable shape of a fetus. It looked much bigger than the photo he had spent hours studying and he could immediately see the physiological changes as well. “Wow,” he breathed, taking Gibbs’ hand without thinking.

Jethro suppressed a smile, remembering how he had felt the first time he’d gone through this. Oddly enough, he wasn’t at all uncomfortable with Tony’s subtle but open display of affection. Something about it seemed appropriate to the moment and the broad thumb stroking soothingly across the back of his hand was a warm and pleasant distraction. It actually felt better than he had imagined having someone besides Reed and the ultrasound tech to share the moment with, as if he was introducing Tony to their child for the first time.

They both watched the monitor closely, trying to make out details in the soup. The baby was moving around quite a bit, perhaps in response to Jethro’s own stress or the prodding from the ultrasound. Either way, its erratic bounces were somehow both reassuring and mesmerizing.

“You’ve got an active one. No wonder you’ve been feeling all that movement,” Reed noted as the tech searched for the best possible angle. “Everything looks great right now. Good size, good fluid, normal development from what I can see. Cindy here is the expert and I’ll have her take a look at the video a little more closely and give me a final prognosis once we’re finished.”

The attractive blond seated on a high chair next to the bed looked up from her examination of the monitor and smiled. “Looks good to me too,” she confirmed.

 Gibbs was pretty sure he noticed her eyes giving Tony more than a quick once-over and was surprised to feel just the tiniest stab of pride in the way DiNozzo didn’t even seem to be aware of the rapt appraisal.

“Do you want to know the sex today? I’ve got a pretty good view,” Cindy offered.

She had moved the wand lower on Jethro’s stomach and Tony wasn’t sure exactly what he was seeing at the moment.

They had discussed it, of course. Jethro had his own reasons for hesitation, an undefinable dread he couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of, but in the end, they had both agreed that it was time to stop referring to the bump as ‘it’. He looked over at Tony for confirmation and nodded.

“Hit us with it, Doc.” DiNozzo squeezed Gibbs’ hand a little tighter.

“Looks like you’ve got a healthy little girl bouncing around in there. Congratulations, gentleman.” Reed squeezed Jethro’s shoulder and patted Tony on the back, soundly.

Gibbs’ heart contracted hard in his chest at the words and his lungs froze up on him. The pain he had been dreading, the fear he had tried so hard to prepare himself for welled up despite his best efforts. Images flashed unbidden and unstoppable in his head, sharp and clear and whole. First breaths, first baths, first steps, first words. Memories of another little girl who would never know the joys of the sister currently nestled in his belly.

He needed to get away but there was nowhere to escape to. The heat behind his eyes was a barely restrained flood and he tried to sit up despite the pressure of alarmed hands suddenly holding his shoulders. Jethro looked from Reed to Tony frantically, saw the deep concern etched in their faces. “Need to be…alone for a minute,” he choked out around the fire in his throat.

“Jethro, what’s wrong? He said everything was okay, I don’t understand.” Dinozzo tried desperately to cling to the hand that pushed his away.

“Cindy and I will step out for a minute and let you get yourself together,” Reed tried to soothe him, “But you need to calm down, Jethro. Deep breaths. You’re safe here and the baby is fine.”

Gibbs managed to focus on him and nod. He sucked air into his burning lungs in a shaky breath. “Please,” he begged.

“Okay, but Mr. DiNozzo is staying. I’m not comfortable leaving you completely alone without knowing what’s going on,” Reed cautioned.

More than anything he wanted Tony not to see him this way. He didn’t want to see the questions in the younger man’s eyes that he couldn’t –wouldn’t- answer, but he felt himself about to come apart and there was no time to argue.

Reed and the pretty tech let the door close behind them and he was alone with Tony as the dam broke. “Oh shit,” he cried, turning onto his side on the table and curling around his belly which was still slicked with gooey gel.

He didn’t care.

He didn’t care about any of it.

The tears ran down his face, spilled over the bridge of his nose to land on the clean white paper beneath him. His entire body shook with the power of torturously sweet memories that had risen unbidden to mock his feeble attempts at keeping them locked safely away.

Tony felt helpless and scared. He had no idea what had caused such a violent reaction and outpouring of emotion from Gibbs and he felt tears pooling hotly against his lower lids in sympathy for the older man’s obvious pain. He reached out a trembling hand for Jethro’s shoulder but Gibbs flailed at his touch, pushed him away.

“God, I’m sorry,” he sobbed brokenly. “So sorry.”

Unsure whether Jethro was even talking to him, DiNozzo tried again, this time laying a hand atop Gibbs’ head where he couldn’t shrug it off and stroking consolingly down the back of his neck over and over again while the older man shook and shivered. When Jethro seemed to tolerate this he moved closer and whispered gently beside his ear. He didn’t know how to do this, how soothe the seemingly unsoothable, but he did the best he could, feeling his own cheeks become wet.

There was nothing Jethro could do but let the pain run its course. He surrendered to it, let the bittersweet agony flow through him like a current until the surging flood eventually began to ebb to tolerable eddies. Gradually he became aware of Tony’s hand against the back of his neck, of the tender murmurs of concern beside his ear. His agonized sobs subsided to gentle hiccups and he reached for Tony’s hand and gripped it tight, unsure if he would be able to look the younger man in the eye, certain he would not be able to begin to offer him the explanation he deserved.

“Okay now.” His voice was a raw rasp as he tried to reassure DiNozzo and himself that the worst had passed.

“Oh God, please don’t ever do that again,” Tony begged, lowering his forehead to Jethro’s shoulder in relief.

Jethro felt empty, hollow. Like the tap of emotion had drained him of everything he had.  He wiped his nose and eyes on his gown, drawing a deep breath and trying to stop the lingering little choked hiccups that just kept coming. Finally, he rolled onto his back and let Tony help him sit up. Even his muscles felt sore.

“You sure you’re alright now?” DiNozzo rubbed Jethro’s arms, concerned by the gooseflesh that still lingered atop the heat of his skin. Gibbs looked up at him then and the immeasurable pain in the older man’s eyes had him swallowing the lump that rose in his throat.

“Fine.” So flat, so heavy.

“Gibbs…”

“Don’t.” He shook his head. “Don’t.”

Jethro’s eyes begged him, pleaded with him not to ask, not to press right now. He finally nodded silently.

“I need to go home.”

“Let me just get the doctor to come in and check you over, okay?” Tony got a paper towel and wiped at the gel on Gibbs’ stomach.

Jethro nodded woodenly. He didn’t have the strength or will to argue the point. All he knew was that he needed to be where other people were not as soon as possible.

 

* * *

 

Tony watched Gibbs out of the corner of his eye as he made the final turns toward his house. Jethro was unnaturally quiet, even for him. He had barely said a dozen words since he had come out of whatever had happened during the ultrasound. Reed had checked him over thoroughly and found that the baby was in no distress and that all of Jethro’s vital signs looked normal. He’d pulled Tony aside and given him instructions to keep a close eye on Gibbs and to call if he didn’t seem to be pulling out of whatever funk he had fallen into. Reed had also given him several ultrasound stills but cautioned him against sharing them with Jethro until his mood seemed more stable.

Gibbs had let him drive without protest and that alone would have had him worried under normal circumstances.

As they pulled up to the curb, Jethro unlatched his seatbelt and began to open the door before the car had even stopped. Before Tony could put the sedan in park, Gibbs was halfway up the walk, focused like a missile on the front door. DiNozzo merely trotted after him and only barely caught the door as Jethro made a feeble attempt to shut him out.

“You need to go, DiNozzo.”

 It wasn’t anger, but Gibbs’ voice was as hard and cold as Tony had ever heard it. All it took was one glance down at Jethro’s rounded stomach to give him the stones to draw up to his full height and resist. “No,” he said calmly.

“Get. Out.”

“No,” Tony repeated gently, his composure tempering the steel of Gibbs’ resistance. “Do what you need to do. I’ll leave you alone and I won’t ask questions. I can sleep on the couch-hell, I’ll sleep in the basement under the boat if you want me to but I am _not_ leaving you alone tonight, Jethro.”

Blue eyes blazed at green in the fading light of the entry way but it was Tony who won the fight. Gibbs turned on his heel and made for the stairs, his shoulders slumped in a way DiNozzo had never seen before. As Jethro disappeared and he heard the heavy sound of a thick door closing, the slippery click of a lock sliding into place, Tony collapsed against the wall and scrubbed a hand down his face slowly.

He was worried. Perhaps more worried now than he had been an hour ago and his brain searched for anyone he might be able to call on for some advice. Before he was even really aware of what he was doing, Tony reached in his pocket and extracted his cell phone, scrolling through numbers until his eyes lit on the only name that came to mind. His fingers trembled a little as he hit send, knew what making this call was going to mean.

“Ducky?” he said when a softly lilting voice answered on the other end. “It’s DiNozzo. I think I need some help.”


	9. Confessing

****

Tony bounced off of the couch as he saw headlights pull up to the curb outside. Two hours later and Jethro was still locked tightly in the room upstairs. He’d sat outside listening to the cold silence and the ticking of the clock wondering if he should endeavor to pick the lock or just leave Gibbs to his own devices as he had promised.

It was now approaching 9PM and he had been restlessly pacing a groove in the hardwood for most of the last hour as he waited for Ducky to come and help him sort out the mess in Gibbs’ head.

He wouldn’t have been so worried if he thought the older man truly just needed some time alone to work though things, but he knew that Jethro hadn’t eaten since lunchtime and the fact that he would not accept Tony’s offerings of food through the door didn’t sit right with him. Especially not given the fact that Gibbs now ate something almost every hour to keep up with the increased demands from the baby.

Tony met the spry ME at the door and quickly ushered him inside, ignoring the somewhat befuddled look on Ducky’s face at the fact that he was being welcomed into Jethro’s home by someone who should not be nearly so comfortable in these surroundings given his length of acquaintance with their owner.

“I came as quickly as I could, Anthony. I needed to arrange someone for mother before I could leave.” He doffed his hat and coat and hung them near the door. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite understand what the nature of the emergency was from your frantic phone call. Where is Agent Gibbs?”

“He’s upstairs.” He kept his voice low and his eyes drifted nervously to the ceiling. “Listen, Ducky, he…he kind of freaked out.”

“I have known Jethro Gibbs for many years, Agent DiNozzo, and I can tell you he is not known to ‘freak out’ as you eloquently put it.” They moved into the living room.

Tony described Gibbs’ reaction and the ME’s eye narrowed suspiciously.

“That certainly does sound quite out of character,” he agreed. “What were you doing when this happened?”

“We were in the middle of the ultrasound and everything was going fine. Baby’s healthy, they told us the sex, and boom, total meltdown. Believe me, these were not tears of joy.” He wasn’t really thinking about what he was saying, he just wanted Ducky to fix Gibbs for him.

The ME shook his head. “I’m sorry, Anthony but let’s start with why in the world Jethro would ask you to accompany him to an appointment of such a personal nature. I know you two seem to have a natural affinity for…” His eyes widened as realization dawned, pieces of a puzzle finally clicking neatly into place. “Oh my,” he muttered, drawing a hand kerchief out of his pocket and dabbing at his brow.

“Yeah,” Tony confirmed, running a hand through his already messy hair.

“Well, well,” he mused, “that does put an interesting spin on things, doesn’t it?” He looked DiNozzo up and down. “Yes, I suppose I _should_ have seen it earlier.” Ducky shook his head in dismay.

“I don’t think I was supposed to tell you, or anyone for that matter, but I didn’t know what to do. He’s scaring the shit out of me. He’s locked himself upstairs and he won’t let me in, even just bring him something to eat.” Tony wrung his hands nervously.

“I’m certain he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the child’s health, Tony,” Ducky reassured him with a hand to his shoulder, “but I do understand your concern.”

“I just don’t understand what happened. It was good news.” He looked pleadingly at the older man. “I only want to help him but I don’t know how. If I thought leaving him alone was the answer I swear I would do it.”

“I’m sorry that I can’t be more helpful as to the source of such a reaction. Agent Gibbs has certainly seen his fair share of blood and violence over the years so I suppose, theoretically, he could be experiencing some sort of post-traumatic event. Though typically those are triggered by relating something from the past trauma to what’s happening in one’s present environment and I don’t see an obvious link based on what you’ve told me.” Ducky looked puzzled.

“Could you try and talk to him? Maybe he’ll open the door for you,” Tony asked hopefully.

“I’ll do my best but if what you’ve said is true, I have my doubts that his reaction to my presence will be any different,” he said uncertainly.

“And if I could get you in the room?” Tony withdrew a small packet from his back pocket and flashed Ducky the tools contained within.

“Let’s try asking first. If I don’t get a response, we’ll go your way. At least to bring him something to eat and drink. I admit, I’d feel better if I could get a look at him personally, assess his state of mind for myself.”

Tony agreed. Pocketing the lock picking kit, he quickly prepared a sandwich and a few of the more tame snacks Gibbs had been craving over the last couple of weeks. He handed the plate to Ducky with a grateful nod.

“Don’t thank me yet,” the ME cautioned as he slowly ascended the stairs.

* * *

 

A half hour later, Ducky was no closer to an open door and had heard no movement or response from within the closed off room. Reluctantly, the ME stepped aside as Tony deftly triggered the mechanism on the hefty lock and then moved out of the way.

Ducky didn’t like the idea of invading the privacy of someone who clearly did not want to be disturbed, particularly when that person was Jethro Gibbs, and as the knob began to turn smoothly and silently beneath his fingers, he prayed that he was doing the right thing.

The room was dark but he could see Gibbs sitting quiet and still on the edge of the bed by the soft light from the hall. Jethro didn’t look up as he entered and his heart rose up in his throat as he sensed the wrongness about the man instantly. Tony was lingering in the doorway and he tried to make his look reassuring as he slowly closed the door, shutting him out once again.

After giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the murky light, he made his way over to Gibbs cautiously, announcing his presence in soft, soothing tones. It concerned him greatly that Jethro almost seemed unaware of his company.

 At first glance he’d thought Gibbs to be completely still but as he approached he saw that that the younger man had a hand resting lightly on his stomach and was stroking gently and rhythmically back and forth across the curved bump. There was something in his other hand, a piece of paper or a photograph. As Ducky took a chance and sat on the bed next to Jethro, he saw that it was indeed a picture of a young girl, perhaps three or four years old, with a bright yellow sunbonnet covering chestnut curls and a pail and shovel in her hands.

He waited a moment for an objection from Gibbs who still seemed unaffected by his presence. “She’s a lovely child,” he remarked gently, trying to draw Jethro out a bit. His brain had begun to connect some dots at the sight of the image in the younger man’s hands and as mind-boggling as his conclusions were, he believed they must hold some truth.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes and Ducky finally laid a hand on Gibbs’ shoulder, felt Jethro stiffen slightly at his touch.

“She would have played in that sandbox all day if we let her.” Jethro’s voice was barely audible, a pained rasp of undeniable suffering.

Ducky expected him to say more but Gibbs remained silent. “Young Anthony is quite worried about you, Jethro,” he began. “He was very insistent that I bring you something to eat. I must confess that I gave him very little choice in revealing the paternity of your child so please don’t be cross with him. It was quite a shock to the old ticker.” The ME looked down at the picture of the smiling child again. “You are a man of many many surprises, Jethro Gibbs,” he said quietly.

“Her hair smelled like sunshine.” Gibbs was still far away, lost in in the memory.

“I’m not the one you need to tell this to, Jethro.” Ducky squeezed his shoulder a little tighter and the younger man’s hand ceased its hypnotic movement across his stomach.

“Don’t know how.” This time he looked up at Ducky, but his eyes were still glassy and distant. At least it seemed he was somewhat present in the moment again.

“You know, I have to confess, I had my doubts about Agent DiNozzo in the beginning but I think he’s proven himself to be quite competent in many ways. Indeed, the young man might even be a match for you someday, Jethro, and I think you know it. And if his concern for you is anything to go by, I do believe he will make for a wonderful partner in the raising of this child. But you need to let him in,” he urged.

“Need time. He didn’t sign up for this.” The bitterness and self-loathing in his tone were evident.

“But he’s here, Jethro. He’s not running away. And I believe he already cares deeply about your welfare and the welfare of his child. I daresay he might surprise you,” Ducky pressed.

Gibbs turned back to the picture, clearly thinking this over.

“I understand if you need time alone and Tony does too. But if I come out of this room without you eating some supper, I doubt either of us will ever hear the end of it. Why don’t you let me take this?” he gingerly pulled the photo from Jethro’s fingers and handed him half of the sandwich. “I promise to put it somewhere safe,” he added.

Gibbs ate mechanically, almost as if he didn’t even taste the food, but in a few minutes he had eaten the sandwich and a few forkfuls of some of the other things and Ducky was satisfied when he finally set the plate on the bedside table.

“Have to piss.” He rose slowly and stretched with a hand to his back.

Ducky had not seen Jethro in anything but work clothes throughout his pregnancy and he marveled at the changes in his body which were so evident beneath the tight t-shirt that rode up slightly on his newly rounding belly. It was surprising just how well pregnancy suited him.

Tucking the photograph into the drawer of the bedside table, he waited for Gibbs to return from the bathroom and when it seemed his intention was now to sleep, the ME prepared to take his leave.

“Don’t wait too long, Jethro,” he implored gently once Gibbs was settled. And with that he left him alone with his pain.

* * *

 

Tony was waiting in the shadows at the end of the hall and he followed Ducky downstairs silently even though he was frantic to know what had happened with Gibbs.

“I think you had good reason to be concerned, Anthony,” he confirmed. “But I believe the worst has passed. He ate well and I think he’ll sleep for a while.” He certainly hoped Jethro would sleep. Sleep without haunted dreams.

“Did he tell you anything?” Tony pressed.

Ducky shook his head. “Not in so many words, but I have my suspicions,” he said cryptically.

“What is it? Please, I just need to know that he’s alright,”

“The story is not mine to tell, Tony. I believe he’ll be alright, and I believe he will come to you. But you must be patient. I think he’s been carrying a tremendous burden around with him and I honestly don’t know how long he’s had to bear it all alone. Sharing it will not be an easy thing but I think he knows he must. He’s just working out how.” He looked at Tony sympathetically. “I do not envy you in this, dear boy.”

“Should I stay? I don’t feel like I should leave him alone. Don’t think I want to,” he confessed.

“Give him some space but I think staying close is a good idea for the moment. Please don’t hesitate to call if I can help you again, but I think this is something that is just going to have to come when Jethro is ready.” He moved to the door and began putting on his coat and hat. “Congratulations on the baby, Anthony. If you take half as good care of the child as you do its father, you’ll make a fine parent.”

“Her,” Tony said without thinking.

Ducky looked at him strangely.

“The baby,” he explained. “They told us it was a girl tonight,” he said softly, realizing he had been dying to tell someone.

The older man smiled and cupped Tony’ shoulder, at least one of his suspicions confirmed. “Take care of him, Tony. He needs you more than he will admit to right now.”

* * *

 

Tony tossed and turned restlessly on the couch until dawn. It seemed there was a spring poking uncomfortably right in the center of his back no matter how he lay and he wondered how Gibbs had spent so many nights sleeping on the thing.

At a few points in the night he heard the creaks and groans of floorboards above his head as Jethro padded back and forth to the bathroom but other than that, the house was silent. When the light filtering in through the blinds began to brighten, Tony shot upright at the sound of footsteps on the top stair.

Jethro came down slowly and stood watching him uncertainly from the edge of the room. Gibbs was a little disheveled, and his deliciously muddled hair and slept-in t-shirt lent him a vulnerability that was only enhanced by the developing baby belly and fragile look in his eyes. He seemed unsurprised to find Tony there but hesitant to approach.

DiNozzo watched him warily, waited for the older man to make the first move. When Jethro took a step toward him, he met him halfway.

“Morning,” he said gently.

“Morning,” Gibbs echoed, his voice still unusually flat.

“I was thinking maybe I could make some of those banana pancakes with chocolate chips that you liked so much last week, maybe some bacon?” He stood up and stretched, wincing at the multitude of aches and pains that seemed immediately amplified.

Jethro nodded. He looked gratefully at Tony for ignoring the elephant in the room, at least for the moment.

Tony began whipping together ingredients and heating up the griddle while Jethro took a seat at the table. His back seemed unnaturally rigid and it was obvious there were still many things weighing heavily on his shoulders. “There’s a Yankee’s game on later today, if it doesn’t get rained out. Maybe we could just…”

“Thought I’d work in the basement for the day,” Gibbs interrupted him. “Just need some time alone…to think.” He didn’t owe Tony an explanation but he thought the younger man deserved one.

DiNozzo paused in his mixing of the batter. “If you’re sure you’ll be okay on your own.” He didn’t even try to keep the disappointment from his voice. They’d spent the last three weekends together now and he had found himself growing used to the arrangement. “I’ll take off as soon as these are done.”

“Didn’t say I wanted you to leave, Tony,” Jethro corrected him quietly. “Just need to be by myself for a while.”

“Oh.” Tony was a little puzzled but in the end he decided this was a very good thing. “Right. I guess I’ve still got some manuals to go through and I’ve got Threat Assessment starting at FLETC next week. I could really use some time to get on top of that.” He poured the thick batter onto the griddle and dropped a handful of chocolate chips on top before Gibbs’ voice startled him.

“Thank you for yesterday. For staying when I was a bastard who didn’t deserve it.”

When Tony turned, Jethro’s eyes were focused on his. Whatever else was going on in his head, this part was sincere. He wasn’t exactly sure how to respond so he merely nodded and said nothing, hoping Gibbs would continue. When he didn’t, DiNozzo turned back to the business of cooking breakfast without another word.

They ate in awkward silence and when Tony automatically took charge of cleaning up, Jethro departed to the basement.

* * *

 

The sounds of hand tools and sandpaper drifted up reassuringly from the lower level as Tony tried to concentrate. His brain spun out worst case scenarios at each prolonged silence and he even moved toward the top of the stairs a time or two. Gibbs startled him a few times when he appeared for the inevitable trip to empty his bladder but otherwise he worked uninterrupted.

Sometime around noon, Tony made lunch and moved hesitantly down to the basement, nearly dropping the heavy plate of food in his hand when he saw Jethro hunched over his workbench. His head hung low between his shoulders and his fingers gripped the edge as if he feared he would fall without the support.

Setting the meal down quickly, Tony moved to Gibbs’ side and saw how badly his arms were shaking. For a moment he considered leaving the food and walking away but he moved to stand beside the older man instead. “Hey, I brought you something to eat,” he said lamely, afraid anything else would propel Jethro right back to where he had been at the doctor’s office the day before.

To his surprise, Gibbs stood up and swiped angrily at his face. His cheeks were wet and his eyes red but whatever he was going through seemed to be a mere echo of the previous trauma.

“Thanks,” Jethro said, taking a bite of the sandwich he offered before picking up the sanding block and immediately going back to work.

Tony heard the dismissal in his tone and knew that it wasn’t time yet. Leaving Gibbs to his own devices, he went back to the seemingly exhaustive treatise on Federal search and seizure policies, curling up on his side on the couch and trying hard to keep his eyes open.

* * *

 

When Tony woke sometime later, it was nearly dark and he found that he had been covered with a warm blanket while he slept. The scent of something delicious and familiar wafted to him from the darkened kitchen and he followed his nose to the pizza box on the dining room table. Sounds of woodworking still floated up from the basement and Tony understood that this little effort was an offering of sorts from Gibbs. Something the older man knew how to give at this moment.

Settling in on the couch with the nearly full pie and some napkins, he turned on Jethro’s ancient television and adjusted the nobs and antenna-Jesus, who still had an antenna?-until he found the static-ridden Yankee’s game.

In the middle of the 8th inning, when Tony had thrown almost everything within reach in the general direction of the television, Jethro finally emerged from the basement and flipped off the light at the top of the stairs. He looked more together than he had in the basement earlier and he seemed slightly more relaxed as well.

“What’s the score?” Gibbs asked, hovering at the edge of the room.

“Not worth mentioning. You want to watch the end with me? You never know, miracles sometimes happen,” he offered.

Jethro hesitated but eventually he moved over to the couch and sat down next to Tony. His feet and his back were killing him and really he just wanted to lie down but DiNozzo deserved something. As he settled in and kicked his feet up on the coffee table, Tony’s arm came up automatically behind his shoulders across the back of the couch. The heat of the younger man’s body was inviting and he gave into the bone-deep weariness he felt and leaned into the hollow of Tony’s shoulder.

Tony wasn’t really aware of the game anymore. The relief that flooded through him as Jethro pressed into his side made him feel like he could breathe again. He tried to be nonchalant when his hand settled lightly on Gibbs’ belly but he feared he had pushed too far when the older man stiffened beneath him.

The warmth of the palm splayed over his stomach served as a reminder of the child within and while the flips and kicks he’d been feeling most of the day never truly let him forget what was going on inside his body, Tony’s touch initially brought a small surge of pain he had been unprepared for. Eventually he relaxed again and brought his hand up to cover DiNozzo’s while they both sat in silence and pretended to watch the 9th inning.

Jethro felt his eyes growing heavy and knew sleep was going to become imperative very soon. There was a part of him that thought of inviting Tony to bed, that knew he would be comforted with the younger man sleeping beside him, but with the ache still looming just beneath the surface and the air still so  leaden between them he thought it best to be by himself. “Going to bed,” he said as the game ended and he pushed himself awkwardly from the couch.

Tony looked at Gibbs expectantly, hoping for an invitation but prepared to be disappointed.

“Extra bed upstairs. It’s pretty comfortable,” Jethro offered. “I just…” He wanted to explain but there were really no words.

“I’m fine here,” Tony interrupted. “Until you’re ready, okay?” he said gently.

Gibbs nodded gratefully. “If you sleep on this end the spring only pokes you in the ass half the time,” he said helpfully, pointing to the side opposite that which Tony had suffered on the night before.

“Thanks.”

Jethro moved toward the stairs and Tony’s voice caught him at the bottom riser.

“Whatever it is, I can take it, you know,” he said quietly. “And I’ll be here whenever you decide you believe that.”

* * *

 

Tony had no idea what woke him but he nearly jumped out of his skin when one of the darker shadows unfolded and Jethro came to sit beside him on the couch. He sensed that it was still very early morning and he was pretty certain that Gibbs’ as yet silent presence could only mean one thing.

Pulling his knees up, he made room for Jethro, who perched precariously on the edge of the center cushion and hunched forward over the curve of his stomach, clutching tightly to a small, worn photograph of a little girl.

A suspicion began to form in the pit of Tony’s stomach, an insidious dread that he couldn’t explain.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Gibbs turned to him and extended the picture in his hand toward Tony. “This is my daughter, Kelly.”


	10. Comforting

****

_“This is my daughter, Kelly.”_

Tony’s chest felt like it had been dipped in liquid nitrogen and then had a hammer taken to it. Of all the things he could have imagined Jethro keeping buried in his past…

“Gibbs.” It came out as a hushed whisper of disbelief.

“Please.” He didn’t want sympathy. “Just need to get through this, okay? Just need to say it and then after tonight…” But the truth was, he didn’t know what would happen after tonight. He didn’t know if he could close the box again once he had introduced someone else the emptiness that lived inside.

“Okay,” Tony agreed. He wanted to reach out to him, to pull him into his arms but he sensed that Gibbs was like fractured glass at the moment. One touch and the pieces might shatter.

Jethro began his story haltingly but eventually gained momentum. Parts of it were flat and Tony could tell he had rehearsed these in his head over and over again. Perhaps they were pieces he had given to others over the years when forced. He imagined Gibbs’ ex-wives must know something of Kelly and Shannon and the deep canyon of a scar they had left on the older man’s heart. Other parts seemed to come from deep inside of him, memories drawn up from the bottom of an apparently infinite well of sadness and pain that made his voice hitch and his breath grow shaky. Tony was pretty certain he was meeting some inner demons which had never before seen the light of day.

“And I’m so afraid,” Gibbs continued when he had finished with the tragic timeline of events, “so afraid that it…” he put a hand to the side of his belly, “that she…” he said slowly, as if testing the weight of the pronoun on his tongue for the very first time, “that she’ll look like her or cry like her or… _smell_ like her.” He swiped angrily at his eyes as his voice broke. “And that I’ll be terrified of loving her because…because I couldn’t stand to lose her,” he confessed.

When nothing more seemed to be forthcoming, Tony finally laid a hand lightly on his forearm. The touch was undemanding, not even a vain attempt at comforting. “Tell me what to do for you,” he asked quietly. He couldn’t bring himself to pretend that he had the remotest clue where to go from here.

Gibbs shook his head. “That’s the point. You can’t _do_ anything. This is mine, Tony, all of it. I didn’t want to…Christ, I can’t _let_ you. Do you understand that?”

DiNozzo struggled silently for a moment, afraid to ask the question he most feared an answer to from Jethro right now. “You don’t want to…to give her up, do you?” He held his breath.

“No,” Gibbs said firmly, sitting up a little straighter. “Never even crossed my mind in the beginning and I wouldn’t change that now. Not for anything. But I don’t know how to do this. Don’t know how to raise a child halfway. I’ve tried loving halfway and I have three ex-wives to prove that it doesn’t work.”

Tony looked down at the worn picture in his hands in relief. “What if you didn’t put this away?” He leaned forward and held the picture between them. “Stopped being so afraid to let the memory out?” he prodded gently, not really knowing if it was the right thing.

Jethro seemed to think this over for a minute. “I tried with Diane,” he admitted. “There were pictures, a few other things, but I could see it in her face when she looked at them. Like the memory alone was competition.” Gibbs shook his head regretfully. “Maybe it was. I honestly don’t even know any more.”

The heavy self-loathing of Jethro’s voice was touching on a memory for Tony, a part of him that he hadn’t thought about in some time, and he tried to focus in on it. “You know, when my mom got sick, I thought it was my fault,” he began softly, suddenly understanding something about Gibbs that he had resonated with from the very beginning of their acquaintance. “I thought that maybe I hadn’t been good enough, or grateful enough, or loving enough and that God was punishing me by taking her away. When she went into the hospital I promised that I would be better, be as perfect as I could be. That I’d help old ladies across the street, and rescue stray kittens, and even put back the baseball cards I stole from Tommy Vizzeni down the street.” He smiled ruefully. “But she died anyway. And until I was about 16 I was still convinced I was to blame. I guess once Dad hit the road and shipped me off to boarding school, I was pretty sure he thought so too.”

“What changed?” Gibbs seemed genuinely interested.

“I don’t honestly know,” he shrugged. “People die. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to it. At least not one that I can figure out.” There was heat behind his eyes now. “But maybe I’m still trying to be better.”

Jethro let out a long slow breath. “I’m not sure if I can put this away again, even if I wanted to. Something about this…about the baby…it feels different this time. Like she’s pushing it all to the surface no matter what I do. I feel like I’m not being fair to you but I don’t know how to stop it.” Even in the low light the guilt was clear in his eyes.

“Not afraid of ghosts, Gibbs,” Tony said steadily. “But I’m not sure I have the right to have an opinion here. We haven’t really talked about what’s going on with us. It just sort of…happened, but if you want to know what I think, I think it feels good. And this,” he pushed the picture carefully to the middle of the coffee table, “this doesn’t change anything for me.”

Jethro reached out his hand and traced the edge of the photo fondly. Tony’s words were both powerful and unexpected and more than anything he wanted to believe they were the truth. Finally, he leaned forward and rose to his feet sleepily, turning to study the younger man in the muted dimness. “Gonna go back to bed now.” Truthfully, he hadn’t slept before, but for good or ill he felt slightly less burdened now and there was no denying that he was absolutely exhausted.

Tony nodded and stretched his legs back out on the couch.

“You comin’?” Gibbs asked quietly.

“You sure?”

“Not really sure of anything right now.” Jethro scrubbed his hand through the hair on the back of his head. “But I know I sleep better on nights when you’re there than on nights when you aren’t.” His fingers rubbed across the underside of his belly. “And she does too, for whatever that’s worth,” he offered.

Tony stood slowly, still afraid that any sudden movement might spook Gibbs back into his hole. “More than enough for me. And I’ll be honest, I won’t miss that spring.” He smiled and put a hand to the small of Jethro’s back as they climbed the stairs, unsure where the sudden need for connection came from. Perhaps it was simply the fact that the older man didn't seem to be pushing him away any longer.

Once the obligatory bathroom breaks were taken care of and they crawled beneath the sheets, Tony let Jethro settle in and get comfortable before moving onto his side, parallel to Gibbs’ back but leaving him his own space. When a calloused palm reached back tentatively for his hip and pulled him closer, he went without argument, molding himself to Jethro and slipping an arm beneath his armpit to hold him securely, at least for a few minutes. Resting his lips beside Gibb’s ear, Tony rubbed slow, soothing circles around his stomach, his touch completely undemanding.

Hovering on the edge of sleep, DiNozzo was surprised when Jethro’s fingers suddenly clasped his wrist and pushed his hand lower until he encountered the stiffening erection that rose up to meet him. “Gibbs, I don’t need…this is enough for me tonight,” he said sincerely.

“I need it.” Jethro’s voice was thick and heavy. He twisted to find Tony’s lips and anchored a hand in his hair, kissing the younger man awkwardly as he rolled against his slowly hardening cock. “Please.”

“How do you want me?” Tony breathed into Jethro’s open mouth, unable and unwilling to say no to the tender demand.

“Like this.” His tongue traced Tony’s lower lip lazily as he rolled his hips and pressed backwards until Tony’s dick slipped into his crack. Gibbs couldn’t explain where the sudden need had come from, especially tonight, but he wanted Tony inside of him, needed that achy sense of fullness and connection that came with it, and knew that despite his exhaustion, his body would not relax until he gave it what it wanted.

Reaching behind him, DiNozzo quickly moistened his fingers from the bottle on the side table and squeezed his hand between their bodies to make expert work of slicking Jethro’s hole.

The slippery lube was cold against the heat of him but as Tony swiftly lined himself up and pushed inside without hesitation, the entire world was warm again.

Holding still while Jethro adjusted to him, he ran his hands over the length of the older man’s body, still hard and muscular and entirely masculine despite the firm and gently rounded swell of his belly. Muscle and sinew quivered beneath his palms and he could feel the tension coiled tight just beneath the surface. Tony nipped at Gibbs’ earlobe, drawing the nub of flesh between his teeth and suckling to the sound of broken sighs as a clutching hand came over his hip and tugged at his ass, encouraging him to move.

The angle of their bodies meant slow and shallow strokes, but Gibbs pressed back into every one, twisting his hips to give them both a little more. This wasn’t the mind-blowing sex they’d been having from the very start of their acquaintance, nor was it the same as the quick and intense fucks they’d shared on occasion when time was a driving factor. It was something else entirely, something unfathomably deeper and all-consuming and Tony seemed to sense it too.

The arm beneath Jethro supported him, secured him tightly to the younger man’s body while gentle fingers kneaded his chest and grazed repeatedly over his swollen nipple. DiNozzo’s other hand stroked the insides of his thighs, toyed fleetingly with his balls, but inevitably moved up to palm his belly as the breath against his cheek turned to broken pants.

Perhaps it was the emotional intensity of the last 24 hours or maybe it was simply Tony's own weariness that had left him raw and open, but the ache that had been living unattended in his chest now bloomed and grew in tandem with the tight heat in the pit of his stomach, made him want and crave in ways entirely unfamiliar to him. Tony’s hands roamed restlessly over Jethro's body, trying to find a way to fill the void before it consumed him utterly. Words rose unbidden in his throat and he choked them down, forced them back from his tongue as he tried to focus on the man pressed so tightly to his sweat-slicked body.

Jethro knew that he was being made love to. That the way Tony touched him, moved with him, breathed with him was the younger man’s way of expressing feelings he didn’t yet have the vocabulary for. He didn’t know if he was capable of returning the emotion, but right now it just felt so fucking _good_ to be held by him, to be pressed to the naked heat of him, that he didn’t care about anything else.

Fingers curled against his belly and Gibbs lifted his knee and placed his foot on Tony’s calf to get him just a little deeper. He reached for his cock but DiNozzo was there first, fisting him with just the right pressure to make his balls tighten instantly. Jethro pressed his shoulder back so that his upper body was nearly on top of Tony’s and clutched desperately at the arm wrapped tightly across his chest while he came deep and hard and silent to the pulse of Tony’s release spurting against his insides and the younger man’s ragged cries against the curve of his ear.

Gibbs’ stomach was a mess and he didn’t care. Tony’s waning erection was still buried inside of him and he kept his muscles tight, holding him in until the last possible moment. He was already drifting into the void between waking and dreaming and his brain was blissfully quiet for the first time all day.

Tony thought that they should clean up but with Jethro seeming perfectly content, he settled for wiping the cum from the older man’s belly with the edge of the sheet. They could deal with the rest later and Gibbs’ body seemed intent on clinging to his cock for at least a little while longer.

“Jethro,” he whispered hoarsely, dragging his mouth across the older man’s freckled shoulder. He got no response from Gibbs but he was pretty sure he wasn’t asleep yet. A half-formed idea was intruding on the moment of idyllic silence that always filled his head after he came and he had absolutely no idea what to do with it just yet. He settled for the truth of the older man’s quiet breathing against his chest and the swell of his child beneath his palm, letting them lull him into unconsciousness.

* * *

 

Gibbs came awake gently to a mixture of very odd sensations. Sometime in the night he had rolled onto his back and he lay there with his eyes closed while the fog lifted from his brain and he tried to pinpoint exactly what was going on.

The deep rumble of Tony’s voice drifted to him softly but it seemed in a strange place. Still close, but not near his ear where he would expect it. He felt DiNozzo’s fingertips brush lightly against his side and let his eyes flutter open slowly.

Tony had shifted down and was curled on his side with a pillow beneath his head. He seemed to be speaking softly to the side of Jethro’s belly, unaware that Gibbs had begun to rouse. He watched the younger man silently for a moment until he felt the movement in his abdomen that had pulled him from the embrace of sleep in the first place. Unlike the soft flutters, butterflies, and little flips he had been feeling for the last few weeks, this was a distinct kick or jab against his insides and it seemed to be aimed in the direction of Tony’s voice.

“Morning,” Gibbs reached down for the top of Tony’s head and let his fingers trail lightly through his thick hair. There was a feeling inside of him like the one that came after the passing of a storm. There were still rumbles of the tumult from yesterday but they were more muted and distant.

“Hey.” Tony looked up at him a little sheepishly, searching for an explanation for his current position. “I was just…”He stopped at the strange expression on Jethro’s face.

Gibbs got another pummeling from inside and quickly reached for Tony’s hand. He pressed it firmly to his stomach, just to the lower left of his stretched belly button and waited. “Talk to her again,” he ordered.

“I wasn’t exactly…I mean, I was just saying that...Woah!” He jerked his hand back and looked at Jethro in disbelief. “Is that? Oh my god, is that her?” Tony bounced to his knees and planted both hands on the bump in the spot Jethro had shown him.

“Either she likes your voice or she wants you to shut up and let her go back to sleep,” he grunted. “Hard to tell which, but she’s never done that before.” Gibbs smiled gently at Tony whose face was lit up brighter than the sun.

DiNozzo felt the tiny but distinct thump against his fingers again and nearly whooped with glee. “Can’t believe how strong she is for someone so little.” This time he could actually see the skin of Jethro’s belly bounce just a little.

“Tell me about it,” he agreed. The repeated jabs were making his already full bladder increasingly uncomfortable but there was no way he was going to interrupt Tony’s enjoyment of the moment. Certainly not after everything he had had to put up with.

“Maybe she could be a pro soccer player or the first female kicker in the NFL?” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the smooth skin between his palms, taking a gentle punch to the nose when he hummed lightly against the taut flesh.

“Not sure she likes the idea.” He gazed down at Tony and felt warmth spread through him. Jethro remembered something Tony had said the night before. “It does feel good,” he agreed.

“What?” DiNozzo seemed puzzled.

“You and me,” Gibbs said hesitantly. “You’re right. We haven’t talked about it and maybe we need to but for now…for now it feels good.”

Tony reluctantly relinquished his hold on the belly and crawled up Jethro’s body, settling in beside him. He gave the older man no time to squeeze in a protest before he took his mouth in a kiss that was long and hard and slow, a kiss that made Gibbs’ fingers curl in his hair and his own toes flex against the cool sheets.

“Thank you,” Tony whispered breathlessly when it was done. He laid his head against Jethro’s chest and buried his nose in soft curls, drifting with the moment for just a little while longer.

 


	11. Waiting

****

**23 Weeks**

“Gibbs, you need new pants,” Tony said despairingly as the elevator doors slid closed. “I told you last week we should go shopping.”

“I like these pants. I know what all the pockets are for,” he sipped at the cup in his hands and wished for the thousandth time that it contained coffee rather than herbal tea.

“There’s a rubber band through the button hole holding them together because you can’t close them anymore.” He raised an eyebrow at the older man.

“Don’t see them falling down do you, DiNozzo?” Jethro protested irritably. He knew his rounding stomach was becoming a larger issue and he didn’t need Tony to point out how big he was getting. 

“You need new pants,” he persisted patiently. Gibbs was being tremendously stubborn about buying larger or specially fitted paternity clothes and the repeated conversation was wearing thin. He was down to a handful of items that barely covered him and he seemed to be closer to outgrowing those almost daily. “Don’t even get me started on the shirt.” Tony watched Jethro tug the stretched polo down over his stomach for the tenth time since they had arrived back at the building.

“Do I need to remind you that we’re at work?” Gibbs asked pointedly.

“Nope.” Tony kept his eyes focused straight ahead, knowing exactly what was coming.

“And what are the rules at work?” he growled.

“No touching, talking to, staring at, or even mentioning the belly,” Tony recited.

“And?” Gibbs prompted.

 “And you can fire my ass whenever you damn well feel like it.” Tony finished with a resigned sigh.

“Damn straight.”

“You’re absolutely right, Boss. The pants are fine.” Tony bit his lip to suppress a grin. Truthfully, he’d missed this side of Jethro for the past three weeks, spending most of his time away from NCIS doing training exercises.

The elevator dinged and they were stopped short by Abby as the doors slid open.

“How much to you love me?” She bounced on her toes in anticipation as she directed the query at Jethro.

“Depends on the day, Abbs.” He and Tony parted around her and headed into the bullpen.

“Gibbs!” She stomped her foot impatiently but followed them around the corner.

“What do you have for me?” He looked at the stack of files on his desk and mentally counted the weeks until he would be able to get back to more field work.

“I have your gun.” She beamed.

“God, I missed this desk,” Tony said as he caressed his keyboard. “I missed this chair. I even missed these orange walls.” He’d just spent the majority of the last three weeks at FLETC doing advanced surveillance and threat assessment training courses and he had a week’s break before they picked back up again. Thankfully he only had about a hundred or so hours left of the over 800 required and the end was finally in sight.

Abby turned to him, distracted for a moment. “We missed you too, Tony. Not at first,” she added, “but after a week or so the peaceful silence starts to get to you.”

“Thanks Abby.”DiNozzo aimed his thousand watt smile at her. “It’s always good to be where people appreciate a finely tuned sense…”

“ _Which_ gun, Abby?” Jethro drew her attention back.

“ _The_ gun. Your double murder gun? Don’t tell me you have pregnancy brain already, Gibbs.” She looked disappointed.

“I do not have…whatever that is. Where’s the gun?” He stowed his weapon and his badge and slammed his desk drawer closed testily.

“Being logged into evidence as we speak.” Abby looked completely satisfied with herself.

“You gonna make me ask?” He glared at her over the few feet of desk.

“Someone actually tried to pawn it,” she said, as if she couldn’t believe her own statement.

“You’re kidding?” DiNozzo piped up from his corner incredulously, letting his feet slide off his desk.

 She turned over her shoulder. “Correction: Someone monumentally _stupid_ tried to pawn it.”

“Because they didn’t stop to think that pawn shop owners are required to run checks on all weapons,” Tony supplied helpfully.

“Yup. I guess at the first sign of paperwork the guy turned and ran. Left the gun on the counter. The shop owner called Metro and Voila! Preliminary ballistics matches our murder weapon.”

“DiNozzo,” he barked.

“Yeah, Boss?” Tony said eagerly. It felt good and natural to fall back into this again.

“Get the pawn store owner’s name from Metro and get him with a sketch artist. Find out if he’s got surveillance tapes from the time of the transaction and check any other street cameras in the area to see if they caught anything. I’m willing to bet the guy’s local. Abbs…”

“Confirm ballistics and check for any prints on the gun and bullets.” She completed his sentence.

“I was gonna say, ‘good job’.” He winked at her. “Get to it.”

Abby skipped over to the elevator, both giddy to put her skills to work and high on the obvious sign of affection.

“You think this is our guy?” Tony asked skeptically.

“Do you?”

DiNozzo shook his head. “Unlikely. This guy’s stupid. Our shooter dumped two bodies with no witnesses and almost no forensic evidence. He’s not stupid.”

“Excellent deduction, Probie.” Gibbs tossed the files on his desk aside and kept the tiny smile of pride to himself.

* * *

 

“Tell me something good.” Gibbs and Tony rounded the corner into the lab shoulder to shoulder a few hours later.

Abby spun on her heel and grinned broadly at them. “Aww…my two favorite Dads,” she gushed. “Now that I have you alone…”She threw her arms around Tony’s neck. “You’ve been gone so long I never even had a chance to say congratulations on the baby girl.”

DiNozzo’s eyes went wide as he looked sideways at Gibbs. “You told Abby too?”

“Didn’t have to.” Jethro rattled the extra-large Kaf-Pow enticingly in Abby’s direction and she ceased her assault on Tony.

“Then how…”

“I’ll let her explain it.” Gibbs rolled his eyes as Abby seized the offering from his hand.

“Mmm.” She sucked down a mouthful gleefully. “Like I told Gibbs…” she began.

“I didn’t mean _now,”_ Jethro barked.

“Right.” Her eyes narrowed as her computer-like brain slipped back into work mode. “The weapon is unregistered, no real surprise there, and I lifted two distinct sets of prints from the barrel and handle of the gun. One was the pawn store owner and I’m running the second right now but I’m guessing it’s our runner. What’s more interesting is what I found on the inside.” She grinned. “Whoever cleaned this gun last left a partial print that they didn’t wipe down. It’s not enough to get an AFIS match off of but it definitely doesn’t match the other two prints.”

As she finished speaking the monitor atop her lab station made a high pitched noise.

“And there’s our match!” She pulled up the results.

“Juan Garcia.” Tony read the name aloud. “Petty theft, shoplifting…this guy is small time, Boss.”

“Yup. And you’re gonna go pick him up, DiNozzo.”

“Thank you, Boss.” His eyes lit up at the prospect of oiling up his handcuffs.

“WITH a supervising agent,” Jethro added.

“Of course, Boss.” His enthusiasm was only slightly diminished as he strode from the room confidently.

Gibbs watched him go, unable to take his eyes off the younger man’s ass until he was completely out of sight, and trying in vain to keep the twitching at the corner of his mouth from turning into a grin. It felt damn good to have Tony back at work but it only deepened his dilemma about what would happen to their working relationship in the long run.

“Oh my _god!_ ” Abby brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she watched Jethro’s face intently. “You are so _totally_ in love with him, Gibbs,” she squealed as she embraced him with slightly more care than normal, ever mindful of the growing bump.

Gibbs didn’t respond but as his arms hung limply at his sides and his vehement protest died on his lips, he felt the truth of her words settle into his bones.  

* * *

 

“I already told the other guy, I found the gun,” Garcia said plaintively.

“Where did you find it?” DiNozzo moved to stand behind him. The sweat around their detainee’s collar had begun to stain the center of his back and the room was starting to smell.

“I can’t remember,” he hedged.

“We’re looking at you for a double murder so I suggest you find a way to jog your memory. Quickly.” Jethro leaned forward menacingly.

Garcia looked from Tony to Gibbs to the door. “If I tell you where I found it, I want a deal.”

“If you found it, you don’t need a deal.” DiNozzo moved between him and the door.

“Okay. ‘Found’ might not be the right word,” Garcia admitted reluctantly. “I might have…borrowed it. Without anyone knowing.”

“You stole it.” Tony clarified, eyes going to Jethro over the top of their suspect’s head.

Garcia was stuck and he knew it. He licked his lips and wiped the drop of sweat from the tip of his nose. “You got kids other than that one, Agent Gibbs?” his eyes flickered down to where Gibb’s belly was mostly concealed by the table.

“Not here to talk about me,” Jethro responded gruffly.

“Well I got three,” he explained, “and kids are expensive. Always want the latest thing whether it’s shoes or toys or phones. They look at you with their big eyes and they’re so sincere.” His voice grew wistful and he shook his head. “And I’ll tell you, you would do _anything_ to try and put that little smile on their faces. To hear them say ‘thank you, _Daddy_.”

“Where did you get the gun?” Tony had seen the softening around Gibbs’ eyes at Garcia’s mention of his children and he made his own tone more neutral.

“Apartment complex in Georgetown where I do maintenance. Was fixing a broken pipe last week and found it way back under this guy’s sink all wrapped up. Looked like it had been there awhile and I assumed he wouldn’t even notice it missing. Figured I could get a couple hundred for it at least.” He shrugged.

“I want an address,” Jethro pushed himself back from the table and caught DiNozzo’s eye.

“What about a deal?” Garcia asked frantically as they moved toward the door.

“You’ll get your deal.” Gibbs let the door close behind him without looking back. “Not a word, DiNozzo,” he said as he left Tony in his wake.

“Wasn’t gonna to say anything, Boss.” Tony smiled quietly at the older man’s retreating back.

“And find out who lives in that apartment. I want a team and a warrant right now.”

* * *

 

“You should have seen him, Gibbs!”

“You never had a suspect piss himself before, DiNozzo?” Jethro said irritably, shuffling the papers on his desk. Tony was in the middle of regaling him with the details of the bust at the apartment of a former Petty Officer Adam Mansfield, their now-prime murder suspect in the two dumpster deaths, and Gibbs was more than a little on edge over having to be confined to the sidelines. He understood the necessity but it didn’t make it any easier.

“Not an innocent one,” DiNozzo said smugly.

“You get a confession out of him yet?” Gibbs didn’t even bother looking up.

“No, but…” Tony started to make an excuse but wisely thought better of it.

“We need to wrap this one up tight. If this is our guy I don’t want to give him any room to move. Find me something more to tie him to our victims. I still don’t like how this feels.” He opened his desk and began to pack up.

“You gonna take a crack at him tonight?” Tony asked hopefully.

“Nope. Abby’s running prints against the partial and doing a DNA comparison with our possible sample from the second scene. Apartment’s still being processed. I wanna know what we’re looking at first. Besides, marinating in a cell overnight might just loosen him up and we’ve got enough to hold him on for now.”

Tony watched as he pocketed his badge and holstered his gun for the trip home. There was something about the gun and the belly that were at tremendous odds with each other. “So we’re done for the night?”

“No. I’m done for the night. Restricted duty says no more than 40 hours in a week. You’re here until you pull our victim’s phone records and emails and check them against Mansfield’s. See if they had any contact with him. After that, see if you can punch a hole in his alibi. Call me when you find something,” he said as he turned for the elevator.

“On it, Boss,” he grumbled. He slid behind his desk grudgingly and saw the small, folded piece of paper sticking out from the edge of the keyboard. Unfolding it, he found it covered in Jethro’s messy scrawl.

_‘Rule #8: Never take anything for granted._

_My place when you’re done.’_

Tony smiled and pocketed the note. He could say one thing about Gibbs as a boss, he sure knew how to motivate.

* * *

 

Jethro was dozing upstairs in bed with a book resting atop his stomach when he heard the front door open quietly. When he hadn’t heard anything from DiNozzo he knew the news likely wasn’t good but even so, he’d expected him a few hours ago.

Tony crept silently into the house, knowing it was later than he had planned but not wanting to miss out on seeing Gibbs tonight, even if it just meant crawling into a warm bed and curling up beside him after the long day he’d had. That was something entirely new for him and he might have questioned it if he wasn’t fucking terrified of where that line of thinking would take him.

He’d seen the bedroom light on from outside and he kicked off his shoes and made his way upstairs noiselessly, just in case Jethro was asleep already.

“Hey.” Gibbs greeted him and set his book on the bedside table as Tony rounded the corner on his tiptoes.

“Hey,” Tony echoed, relaxing somewhat when he found the older man awake. “I’m sorry I didn’t call but there was nothing in the phone records and I…”

“It can wait until tomorrow,” Jethro said firmly.

“But I…”

“It can wait, DiNozzo.” He knew Tony would have been on the phone to him in an instant if he’d found something and also knew he needed to begin to draw a clear line between job and home if they were going to make any attempt to make this work. 

“I hope I didn’t keep you awake waiting.” He crawled up the bed on his knees and flopped on his side next to Jethro, propping himself on an elbow.

“Nope.” He rubbed at his belly affectionately. “Been doing her nightly dance routine.”

Tony’s hand went to Jethro’s stomach automatically. He’d been able to feel their daughter’s movements more frequently in the last week or so but every little jerk beneath his palm still felt a little magical. His touch was greeted with a few gentle flutters but she seemed to be drifting off for the time being. Something dawned on him as he pushed back the fabric of Gibbs’ shirt to get to the supple skin beneath. “Where’d you get the shirt?” The soft blue t-shirt actually covered Jethro’s swollen stomach and even had some room to stretch.

“Went shopping after work,” Gibbs admitted grudgingly.

“What changed your mind?” He leaned down and planted his lips to a little freckle just above the older man’s belly button that drew his attention.

“The rubber band broke,” Jethro grunted, feeling Tony’s smile against his skin.

DiNozzo didn’t say anything. His mouth began to move slowly across the curved expanse of Gibbs’ abdomen. In the last week he had definitely become more rounded toward the center while the bump remained bordered by hard muscle on his flanks. Tony couldn’t get enough of his new shape and just a flash of skin was often enough to make his cock thicken. Luckily Gibbs didn’t seem to be able to get enough of his dick or his ass so the arrangement was working out pretty well for both of them.

Tony’s tongue against his stretched skin sent little shock waves along his nerves and he lifted his hips eagerly as impatient hands tugged at his sweats. His fingers slipped on the buttons of the younger man’s shirt until DiNozzo came to his aid and Jethro’s hands curled gratefully into the thick hair on his chest.

Taking his time to thoroughly worship every inch of Gibbs’ belly, Tony pushed up to his knees and slipped between Jethro’s thighs, pulling his pants the rest of the way off. He lowered himself onto his stomach and stretched out, letting his hands roam the older man’s flanks. His lips wandered aimlessly across the bottom swell of Jethro’s pregnancy for a moment, and he licked the warm valley where his belly joined his hip with the flat of his tongue. Looking up he saw that Gibbs was watching him intently. “Do you know how much I love this?” Tony asked thickly, opening his mouth in a slow, reverent kiss but holding Jethro’s gaze.

Gibbs nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. He did. _Jesus,_ he did. And it was the first time DiNozzo had used that word- _that_ word-to describe his feelings and they both knew it. Even if it was just about the belly which- _God fucking help him_ -he already knew it wasn’t.

“Good.” Tony moved lower, ignored Jethro’s already leaking cock in favor of suckling the older man’s balls gently, taking them into his mouth and delicately laving the puckered skin with his tongue. Jethro’s hands came down to clasp his and squeeze tightly as he moaned his pleasure from above. DiNozzo used the pressure of his lips around the base of Gibbs’ cock to work the thick shaft up and down, licking greedily at the fat drops that spilled from its tip and dripped into his mouth. He was surprised when Jethro pushed him off just before he had locked his mouth around the slick velvet of his head.

“Take your pants off,” Jethro ordered, toying with his balls while Tony pushed himself up and hurriedly complied. He watched DiNozzo strip, traced the long lean lines of him in the muted light from the single lamp in the room.

Tony looked to Gibbs for his cue and as Jethro pulled his t-shirt completely over his head, grabbed the bottle of insanely expensive lube they’d both come to love, and moved to his knees, DiNozzo quickly moved in and squatted over him while Gibbs leaned back and slicked his cock. “Hey,” he murmured against Jethro’s mouth as the older man turned his face up while Tony gripped tight to his shoulders to carefully lower himself down onto the tip of the cock that rose up to meet him.

“Hey,” Gibbs whispered back, drawing a hissing breath as he slid deep into Tony’s body in a single slick stroke. His expanding middle meant that their choice of positions was growing a little more limited, particularly if they wanted to be close, but this one they could still manage without too much pressure on his belly. Barely.

“You okay?” Tony asked, concerned as always about Jethro’s comfort. He used his powerful thigh muscles to slide up and down the length of Gibbs’ erection, gripping tight to the older man’s shoulders as he curled forward and quivered at the powerful force of friction against tight muscle and sensitive tissue.

“Hell yes,” he panted, already caught up in the unspeakably hedonistic delight of having the younger man fuck himself onto his cock. His hands kneaded Tony’s ass appreciatively, sinking deep into hard muscle. Jethro found DiNozzo’s mouth and let one of his hands forsake the wonder of Tony’s round bottom to anchor in his hair and hold him in place while his lips and tongue took their fill of him. Those deliciously full lips were his Achilles heel and he knew he would never be able to get enough of them. He loved that DiNozzo was a responsive kisser, adored the way the younger man seemed to be able to sense his needs and kiss him hard or soft of slow or deep depending on his mood.

“Feel so good inside me,” Tony muttered restlessly, the pleasure coursing through his nerves already so intense that he felt he could barely contain it. He moved faster, loving the smack of his ass on Jethro’s thighs with each stroke. His quads were burning and he didn’t care, the rest of his body already felt like it was on fire. His cock bobbed between them, slapping lightly against Jethro’s stomach and then his own to send out little sparks that fed the flame fanning up his spine and around his hips.

Jethro began to pulse his hips into DiNozzo’s downstrokes, giving each thrust more power and sending his arms clutching at Tony’s back to grip tight and help drive them to the rhythm that would finish them both off.

The stimulation of Gibb’s erection sliding full length against his prostate made this their position of choice for a reason when they both needed to come quick and hard whether because time was an issue or they just needed each other that fucking much, which had been the more likely scenario of late. Tonight was no exception and as Tony felt himself beginning to lose the battle against the tight heat that was rapidly building and spinning out of control, he took Jetho’s mouth hard, driving his tongue between his lips in rhythm to the messy slap of flesh on flesh that filled the air around them.

Jethro slipped a hand between their bodies and grabbed Tony’s cock. “Jesus...gonna come so _fucking_ hard,” he choked out against Tony’s mouth, barely conscious that he had said the words out loud before he plunged his tongue back between eager lips.

Tony’s fingers fisted convulsively against Gibbs’ neck and the warmth against his mouth was ripped away a moment later as Jethro roared his release, shook and stuttered and thrust powerfully up into him. His own orgasm started somewhere in his toes and spread up his spine, exploding between his shoulder blades and reverberating back down to force thick ropes of cum from his body and coat both their stomachs.

They rocked together gently through the aftershocks, Tony dropping down to grind himself onto Jethro’s waning erection and milk the last bit of pleasure from the joining. Eventually, he let himself slide backwards onto the mattress, legs still spread wantonly as Jethro moved up beside him and pulled him close. Warm lips moved restlessly against his hair, murmured barely audible endearments that made his still heaving chest ache a little in that strange way he’d been feeling at odd moments lately.

“Jethro?” His whole body felt heavy but his throat was suddenly on fire. Gibbs’ hands froze, fisted at his nape and in the hair on his chest.

“Not yet, okay?” Jethro whispered as his whole body trembled with the power of the words that had just gone unspoken.

“Not yet,” Tony agreed after a moment, pressing his lips to the hollow of the older man’s throat.  _Not Yet._


	12. Separating

****

It wasn’t time yet but that didn’t stop Jethro from being uncomfortably aware of the words that kept bouncing off the inside wall of his chest the next morning while he watched DiNozzo dream.

He was supposed to feel this way, right? About the father of his child? It was survival instinct and pheromones and a whole lot of other things that Abby could probably spend hours explaining to him but in the end it was all bullshit because the result was the same.

The words were still there, living and breathing and eating at him. Slopping over the sides of his heart and staining the fabric of his life.

He heard them. They echoed off the tiles in the shower as Tony gently fucked him wide awake. He swallowed his breakfast around them, felt them filling the little empty spaces between their sentences as they cleaned up, zipping across his palm as Tony’s fingers trailed lightly over it, and sizzling in the void between their mouths as they kissed hungrily.

And he knew Tony heard them too, felt them as hot and hard and unexpectedly unstoppable as he did. Jethro saw it in the way his eyes softened just a little when the younger man thought he wasn’t looking, the way they went all grey and thoughtful at odd moments, the way Tony's lips parted with the pressure of them as Jethro's hand slid down the curve of his spine.

The words mocked at his fear and teased at parts of him that he wasn’t sure he was ready to allow someone to touch again. But the force behind them was real and weighty and tangible, and truthfully, he really didn’t know how long he would have the strength to keep them at bay.

* * *

 

“I’m sorry Gibbs, there’s just no way this is Mansfield’s print.” Abby shook her head.

“So you’re telling me there’s no forensic evidence linking him to these murders?” Jethro had been prepared to hear it but it was still frustrating.

“You mean besides the fact that the murder weapon was found in his apartment?” She raised her eyebrows. “What’s even more interesting is that the rag it was wrapped in had traces of all kinds of industrial strength chemicals on it, lye, butoxychlorine, even minute traces of benzene. Pretty toxic stuff. My mass spectrometer had a field day. But we didn’t find any of those chemicals in Mansfield’s apartment. Where I DID find similar combinations in much smaller amounts, was on our fabric sample from the dumpster,” she said satisfactorily, holding up the bagged sample. 

“Could have gotten it at a workplace?” Gibbs ventured.

“Mansfield works at a call center in Anacostia, Boss. Does tech support for a security company,” Tony explained.

“And I tested random pieces of his clothing against the sample. Nothing even close showed up,” Abby confirmed.

“Okay. So Mansfield was assigned to the GW at the same time as our other two victims, the murder weapon was found in his apartment, but we’ve got nothing else?”

DiNozzo nodded. “Mansfield resigned just a month before Jackson. Assigned to a deck crew so he wasn’t part of our original interviews. I couldn’t find anything in any of their files that would point to a connection beyond that.”

“Well, let’s see what he’s got to say after a night in lockup.” Jethro turned for the door with Tony trailing closely behind.

* * *

 

Mansfield was behaving like no other suspect Tony had ever had in interrogation. He didn’t seem nervous, he didn’t seem cocky. If anything, DiNozzo would almost say he was…relieved.

“So you don’t deny that you knew Jackson and Lieutenant Barnes?” Gibbs said flatly.

“No sir.” Mansfield looked up forlornly. “Ever since I read about Barnes I’ve been expecting a knock on my door. When they got Jackson too, I figured I was next.”

“You thought someone was going to try and kill you?” Tony maintained his relaxed stance against the far wall, half in the shadows.

“Made sense. I always told them it was gonna come back on us some day.” He sounded like a man resigned to his fate.

“Told who?” Gibbs sat forward.

“Barnes, Jackson, and Parillo.” Mansfield looked up. “He’s the only other one not dead yet,” he explained calmly. “Unless he is.” He shrugged as if he wouldn’t be surprised or even upset if this was the case. “Haven’t heard from him or the others in a couple years now.” He folded his hands in front of him on the table.

“What did you think was going to come back on you?” Jethro’s voice was surprisingly gentle. He knew he was dealing with a man already broken.

“The girl.” He raised haunted eyes and looked at Gibbs. “The one we killed.”

* * *

 

“Wow,” Tony said as he slid behind his desk. “I did not see that coming.”

“Yeah, well neither did she,” Gibbs said touchily. “Now find me Jake Parillo.”

“One step ahead of you, Boss. Looked him up while you were finishing with Mansfield’s statement.” He stepped over to Jethro’s desk and flipped open a note pad. “Jacob Alexander Parillo, former US Naval Petty Officer, currently resides in the peaceful town of Culpeper, Virginia about an hour out of DC. Single, he works nights as an orderly at a local hospital and on his days off he teaches literacy in an after school program. Doesn’t exactly sound like the cold blooded killer-type, Boss,” he speculated.

“They rarely do, DiNozzo. Anything else?”

“Ran activity on his passport. About six months ago he hopped a flight to Chile. Only stayed two days though. A little short for a South American vacation. You thinking what I’m thinking?” Christ, between the excitement of the case and the way Jethro’s new shirt hugged his belly, he was getting a little hard just standing there.

“If you’re thinking that it’s no coincidence that’s where four seaman ran over a teenage girl and dumped her body in the ocean, then yeah. I’m thinking what you’re thinking.” He nodded. He noticed the way Tony’s tongue darted out to lick his lips and the way his jeans were just a little bit tighter in the crotch. He needed DiNozzo away from him and he needed it fast.

“You think Parillo had a crisis of conscience?” Tony shifted a little when he saw Gibbs’ eyes flicker down below his waist and decided to make a strategic retreat to the safety of his desk. This hadn’t been a significant issue at work before but if he didn’t distract his brain fast, he was going to have an uncomfortable situation on his hands.

“I think we’re going to Culpeper to find out.” He wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines for this one and the risk was minimal. He quickly stood up and grabbed his gun and badge.

“Gibbs,” Tony warned with an eye to the older man’s swollen stomach. Suddenly his half-erection seemed to be the smallest of his problems.

“I’m not an invalid, DiNozzo,” Jethro growled. “I’m still capable of bringing a man in for questioning.”

“And how do we know this guy didn’t wipe his conscience clean and then decide to take out his friends? You can’t be certain, J-…Boss,” he said quietly, not managing to cover his near-slip as smoothly as he’d intended.

Tony was right. He fucking _knew_ he was right and for some reason that only made things worse. Right now Jethro wasn’t answering for his actions to his Probationary Agent, he was answering to the father of the child he was carrying and it frustrated the hell out of him. “Give the details to Pacci and Barbosa and have them pick him up,” he gave in stonily. “See if you can find out anything about the girl and then get me everything you can on Parillo’s trip to Chile. I wanna know who he talked to, what he ate, where he took a piss, as soon as I get back.” Gibbs headed for the elevators.

“Where you going, Boss?” Tony could tell that playing the Dad card in the office, however subtly, was something he hadn’t heard the end of but even so, he wouldn’t change it.

“Out,” Jethro said crisply as the doors slid closed.

DiNozzo sighed and went to work. It was going to be another long day.

* * *

 

Gibbs had needed to get out. Had needed to prove that he wasn’t chained to his desk even if he couldn’t be as much a part of this case as he wanted. A few minutes alone on a bench in the warm May sunshine with the baby turning restless somersaults beneath his palm had done wonders for his state of mind.

It wasn’t DiNozzo’s fault and he knew it. They had chosen to try and make both work and co-parenthood a possibility and try as they might, it was inevitable that the two would cross over sometimes. He’d make it up to Tony later. Not with an apology but perhaps with a blowjob that would make the younger man’s head spin.

When he walked back into the bullpen, DiNozzo looked nervous and he shot up from behind his desk as soon as he spotted him.

“Director wants to see us, Boss.” He jerked his head up toward the balcony above them. Clearly Tony’s mind had immediately settled on the worst case scenario that such a request would denote and he had a resigned look in his eye, not dissimilar from that of Mansfield’s earlier.

Gibbs moved in close. “’Bout a dozen things it could be about, DiNozzo. Relax or I’m going without you.”

Tony managed to drop his shoulders a few inches and take a deep breath. “Right.” He didn’t sound persuaded.

When Jethro was convinced that DiNozzo had himself sufficiently under control, the two made their way upstairs. Gibbs even allowed himself to be announced which was a rarity.

“Gentlemen,” Morrow said from behind his desk, eyes going from one to the other as they entered.

Jethro was sure he read a certain smugness around the Director’s eyes but he wasn’t convinced that the look was necessarily malicious. “Director,” he greeted him, trying to keep his own wariness from his voice.

“Gibbs,” Morrow acknowledged. “Agent DiNozzo, relax, for God’s sake.” He gave a tight laugh. “I know this is the first time I’ve asked you here but you look like you just got called to the principal’s office.”

“Feels a little like that, Sir…uh…Director Sir,” he fumbled. The police force had been easy compared to this.

“Nothing of the sort, I assure you. Unless you’ve done something I’m unaware of?” He let the question hang, let the layers of it unfold between them as he contemplated Tony.

“No, Sir,” he lied easily.

“Actually I’ve brought you hear to commend you. And Agent Gibbs as well of course. I hear you’ve caught a break in that double murder investigation finally?”

“Hope so. Still running down a few leads. Might need to call in some favors with the Chilean government,”Jethro took over. “Probie here was just about to fill me in on his progress.”

“I won’t keep you long.” He assured them. “Agent DiNozzo, I’ve been talking to your instructors over at FLETC about a rather unique opportunity I have for you.” He came around and sat on the edge of his desk. “I’m sending a few teams down to Cartegena ahead of the upcoming Unitas exercises next month. Representatives from SOCOM, as well as the Vice President will be making visits with foreign military leaders and heads of state and we need a thorough threat assessment in the city and surrounding locations. Your instructors say you’re leading your class in that area and they feel you could make a positive contribution. I also think it would be an incredibly valuable experience,” he finished, looking to both DiNozzo and Gibbs for a reaction.

Tony’s jaw was tight. “How long would I be gone?” The bottom felt like it was falling out of his stomach.

“Oh, only a few weeks. Three at the very most. Do I sense some hesitation? I have to be honest, I thought you’d have your bags packed by the time I finished giving you the news.” He seemed genuinely surprised.

“I appreciate the opportunity. I just have some things in my personal life that…”

“He’s in.” Gibbs finished for him. He met Tony’s eyes and felt the air crackle with all of the things they couldn’t say to each other at the moment.

The unspoken exchange had only taken a few seconds but when Tony turned back he felt Morrow studying them both intently as if reading between the lines. “When do I leave?” he asked tightly.

“Friday 0700. Hopefully you’ll have this case wrapped up by then? If not, I’m sure Jethro can spare you and tie things up on his own.”

“I’m sure he can.” Tony tried his very best to keep his anger and disappointment out of his voice.

“Good, I’m glad that’s settled then. That’s all, Agent DiNozzo. I‘d like to speak to Gibbs alone for a few moments. You’ll be receiving an email with all the operational details this afternoon.” Morrow nodded his dismissal.

“Thank you…for the opportunity.” His eyes wandered back to Gibbs momentarily and he was comforted slightly by the flash of regret he saw there.

Once Tony had left the room, Morrow dropped the formality. “You think he’s ready for this, Jethro?”

“I know he is,” Gibbs said confidently.

Morrow seemed to be mulling something else over in his head. “How are things going with-“ He waved in the general direction of Jethro’s pregnant stomach, unable or unwilling to say the words out loud.

“Being pregnant?” He rubbed his palm across the rounded bump, refusing to skirt the issue. “So far, so good. Think she’s gonna be an acrobat the way she flips around in here all the time.” He smiled.

“So it’s a girl, then?” He still seemed a little distracted.

“Found out a few weeks ago,” Gibbs confirmed. “This make you uncomfortable, Tom?” He narrowed his eyes and intentionally used the familiar but kept his hand on his belly. “I know it must have seemed sudden to you.” In truth, he felt guilty about not being able to be more honest with his boss, a man he had accumulated a grudging respect for over the years of their acquaintance.

“Sorry, Jethro,” Morrow sighed. “I have to admit, it’s taken some getting used to. But you’re carrying it well,” he observed. “How many weeks now?”

“Almost 24.” He could tell Morrow was angling for something.

“Six months.” He shook his head and moved back behind his desk. “I was just noticing today that Agent DiNozzo is coming up for his six month review in a couple weeks. Time really does fly.” Morrow narrowed his eyes slightly and regarded Jethro levelly.

Gibbs didn’t flinch.

“I notice that you two have excellent chemistry-,” he left just enough space before continuing, “-in interrogation. I had a chance to observe your session with Juan Garcia the other day. Can’t say I’ve ever seen you find that so naturally with any other agent, Jethro. It surprised even me. You two make a formidable team. I wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize that,” the older man said sincerely.

“Something you want to ask me, Director?” His voice remained flat and he gave Morrow nothing. He sensed that the other man’s motives here were genuine, that he was showing him his cards in good faith, but he wasn’t exactly sure what his boss was trying to get at without saying something he knew he couldn’t.

“You know, Jethro. I think it was a wise decision for you not to tell me who the child’s father is. I think I’d like to keep it that way-keep things the way they are.” He let Gibbs feel the weight of the words behind his words. “For the time being at least.”

And there it was. Morrow’s suspicions had developed into more than suspicions and he didn’t want Jethro to force his hand by confirming them. Didn’t want to break up the future team he envisioned building around him and DiNozzo unless it was absolutely necessary. “Thank you, Sir,” he said respectfully.

Morrow nodded gravely. This hadn’t been an easy decision. He had lost sleep over what his obligations were in this tremendously precarious skirting of NCIS policy. But this way he was still maintaining plausible deniability while doing what he genuinely felt was best for the agency.

“Was there anything else?” Gibbs could see the conflict playing out over Morrow’s face.

“I’m glad you’ve finally found someone you can work so well with, Jethro. It’s been a long time coming,” he said sincerely, dismissing Gibbs as he turned back to the files on his desk.

Jethro departed without another word, not sure if he was relieved or troubled. There was still Tony to deal with and if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t like the idea of being separated for so long any more than DiNozzo did. At least not right now. But Morrow was right, it was a fantastic opportunity for a probationary agent and he knew he was right to push Tony into going.

Now he just had to convince DiNozzo of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of another short arc. Each one brings our men closer to the parents they need to become and closer to each other.


	13. Thinking

****

“That’s not what this is about and I think you know that,” Jethro said patiently. It wasn’t an argument so much as DiNozzo venting his deep disappointment that Gibbs had not fought harder to keep him in DC. The younger man was currently wearing a hole in the linoleum of his kitchen floor while Jethro leaned wearily against the countertop.

They’d spent the rest of the afternoon going rounds with the Chilean government, trying to get any information about the death, and waiting impatiently for Pacci’s team to get back to NCIS with Parillo in custody, and he was exhausted both from the case and trying to keep his emotions in check where Tony was concerned. There had been a job to do and no opportunity to talk about what was weighing heavily on both of their minds until they finally hit a stopping point and left for the day. As soon as Tony had walked in the door, the gloves had come off but DiNozzo seemed to be unprepared for Gibbs’ lack of fight in this particular instance.

“You could have said something. Told him you needed me to finish out the case. That it was more important.” Tony had said the same thing in one variation or another over a dozen times since he’d stalked up the front steps that evening and found Gibbs waiting for him in the living room, anticipating the storm that had been brewing since their meeting with Morrow. He knew he was fighting a losing battle and he realized his protests had begun to sound more than a little whiny now.

“But it isn’t. What you’ll be doing in Columbia is more important. There are things I can’t teach you from behind a desk or even from MTAC and you _need_ to learn them.” He wished for anything that he could make Tony understand without beating him over the head with the reality of their situation but if he persisted there weren’t many choices left to him.

“So this isn’t just a convenient excuse to run from the fact that you fucking care about me? Maybe a little more than you intended to? Maybe a little more than you know how to? Or to punish me for what happened earlier?” There was no heat behind the accusation but he needed to hear Gibbs say it.

“No.” He shook his head firmly. “You were right earlier, even if I didn’t like it. I had no idea Morrow was going to do this but I honestly think he’s doing it for the right reasons. He knows you could be one of the best NCIS agents out there and he’s pushing you to give you the opportunity to use your potential instead of wasting it for the next five months until I’m back to full duty. If I was in his shoes I would do the exact same thing, and if it wasn’t for this,” he tapped his protruding abdomen, ”you would have jumped at the chance whether I liked it or not.” Jethro didn’t even try to address Tony’s other points. This was the one that mattered right now, the one he had an answer for.

DiNozzo scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, finally shedding his anger in a deep sigh but maintaining his clear frustration. “I don’t want to miss any of this,” he finally admitted, “not even a minute of it. You of all people should understand that.”

He tried not to flinch. It was a bit of a low blow but the heaviness in his chest was back with a vengeance at the sincerity in Tony’s voice. “It’s two or three weeks. You won’t miss the important parts.”

“Look what’s changed in two or three weeks,” Dinozzo argued gently. His eyes softened and he stepped in closer to Jethro, splaying his fingers across the width of his stomach.

“She’ll still be in here when you get back,” he reassured him, covering his hand.

“I wasn’t talking about her.” Tony’s other hand came up to trace the delicate line of Gibbs’ jaw. He was always amazed that a man seemingly so hard could also appear to be achingly fragile in these quiet moments when he well and truly let his guard down and the world fell from his shoulders.

“I’ll still be here too,”Jethro managed as Tony’s lips brushed gently and fleetingly over his. He opened his mouth slightly to the kiss and tasted the younger man’s breath on his tongue as DiNozzo hovered over him, cradled his face in his palms.

“Promise?” He traced the deliciousness of Gibb’s bottom lip with his tongue and pulled it back to enjoy the taste of him.

Jethro took the opportunity to prove he was still agile at nearly six months pregnant and spun them around so the small of DiNozzo’s back pressed hard into the curve of the countertop, letting his body rest lightly against Tony’s as he anchored his fingers in the younger man’s hair. “Promise,” he murmured as his mouth descended. In that moment he stopped thinking about anything else and just kissed him, let the words that were so carefully bottled up inside spill off of his tongue and slide between DiNozzo’s lips while his fingers restlessly traced the syllables of them against his nape.

Gibbs was hard against Tony’s hip and his own erection was pressing demandingly against the confines of its denim prison but it didn’t matter right now. The only thing that mattered was the way Jethro was loving him so carefully and tenderly with his mouth, the way the flat of the older man’s tongue worshiped gently against the velvet of his own.

When Tony’s hands began to wander more urgently across his back, Gibbs retreated, pulling DiNozzo’s bottom lip between his teeth and pressing their foreheads close as his hands clutched the fabric of the younger man’s shirt like a lifeline.

Tony felt the shift between them, heard the change in Gibbs’ breathing as it picked up and his exhalations became more forced. “You wanna go upstairs?” Tony slipped down and slid his lips along the stubble on the older man’s jaw, delighting in the sandpaper feel of it against his kiss-swollen flesh. He could tell that Jethro needed something from him, something he was all too happy to give and _fuck_ Gibbs was so damn sexy when he begged, even when he wasn’t using words.

That unstoppable rush that Jethro had only ever felt this strongly with Tony shot up his spine and wrapped demandingly around his hips. Suddenly shaky hands were fumbling at DiNozzo’s belt, pushing irritably at the thick denim to move it out of his way while Tony’s mouth set fire to the skin of his throat.

“Take it that’s a ‘no’ on the upstairs then?” Tony murmured hungrily as his tongue trailed a path up a ropey tendon on the side of his neck.

“Inside me,” Jetho growled against the hollow of his ear as his teeth sank into the tender curve of it. “Right here,” he ordered.

It was DiNozzo’s turn to take charge as he flipped them again. Jethro turned to face the counter and quickly stepped out of his pants, spreading his legs and reaching back for him. “I love it when you don’t mess around.” Tony grinned, eyes suddenly casting about for anything that would serve as a safe lubricant. Seeing nothing close enough and lacking the patience to run upstairs, he reached for the sink next to them and turned on the warm water. He filled his cupped hand and brought it to Jethro’s crack, letting the fluid cleanse him and trickle down the inside of his thighs. Not giving a shit that he was making a mess of Gibbs’ pants and the kitchen floor, he repeated the move a few more times and then dropped to his knees, kneading the firm globes of Jethro’s ass and spreading them apart to delve in between with his tongue.

In his limited experience, it was the first time Gibbs had been well and truly rimmed by anyone, including DiNozzo, and as Tony’s slick tongue swept across his wet hole for the first time, he tensed up and tried to pull away from the foreign and overpowering sensation. “ _Shit!_ Tony…don’t…you don’t have to…”

“Relax.” He held tight to Jethro’s hips. “I want to.” And _fuck,_ he did. Even washed clean, the taste of Gibbs was intoxicating to him in every form. Tony worked moisture onto his tongue and slipped back in, flicking and lapping fast and hard until Jethro loosened up and he could work just the very tip of his tongue into the tight entrance. The sweet little moans from above him told him that despite his initial protests, Gibbs was enjoying what he was doing immensely. When he reached around and found the older man’s stiff and leaking cock, when Jethro pulsed and pumped into his fist, finally pressed back greedily against his mouth, Tony rose and fitted his erection quickly to the space his tongue had just forsaken.

Tight pressure and the feeling of his body expanding, accommodating, aching as it welcomed Tony inside milked a whimper of satisfaction from deep in Jethro's throat, a sound that felt as desperate and needy as he did as it danced over his tongue and fell from his lips. His fingers curled against the slick countertop and he arched his back and pressed into DiNozzo’s shoulder.

Tony slipped his arms around Gibbs, one across his chest to anchor their upper bodies together and the other across the hard swell of his belly, making sure he didn’t drive Jethro into the countertop as he began to thrust deep and long, using his knees to propel him up and forward. “Do you have any idea how much I’m going to miss you? How much I…” He let the sentence hang as his mouth moved hard and restless over the hard muscle of Gibbs’ upper back.

“Show me,” Jethro panted, rolling his hips into Tony’s thrusts and using his arms to push back off the countertop. What was happening was too fast, too powerful, but he was too caught up in it to slow down now. “Fucking make me come.”

“ _Fu-uck,”_ Tony groaned at the hunger behind what sounded like the most deliciously sensual order he’d ever heard from Gibbs. With a hand on Jethro’s spine he pressed him forward a little, tugged his hips up and began to thrust fast and hard and relentless into the tight heat that tried to undo him with every stroke. Gibbs’ hissing breaths were expelled in long crescendoed moans, broken by the hard slaps of their bodies meeting. Sweat trailed in tickling rivulets down his spine and still be didn’t let up, didn’t slow when his skin felt like it was about to fly off in every direction.

“Harder,” Jethro demanded through clenched teeth. Tony was hitting him just right and the pressure was unbelievable, swelling his cock uncomfortably which slapped almost painfully against his belly with each violent meeting of their flesh. He felt DiNozzo hesitate, knew he was afraid to hurt him, but Gibbs knew he was safe, knew he _needed_ what Tony was giving him so _fucking_ good right now. He gave the younger man no choice, drove back so hard onto his cock that he was seeing stars and finally felt his body coiling for release, muscles straining and aching for the sweet heavy thrill of it as Tony continued to pound into him.

Gibbs’ skin felt alive beneath his fingers, bunching and twitching with each stroke. Tony’s hand snaked down beneath the hard curve of his stomach, grasped his leaking cock and worked back and forth over the dripping head as he drove into Jethro’s body again and again. He was close, so fucking close but when he tried to pull back from the titillating precipice that beckoned enticingly, Jethro’s muscles suddenly clamped down on him without warning, dragging his breath from his body and sending his orgasm tearing through him in wave after gripping wave.

Jethro felt Tony explode inside him, felt the hot pulse of the younger man’s release echo the spasms of his own body as he shuddered and shook over and over. He felt utterly drained, but as DiNozzo continued to thrust brokenly into him, the sweet convulsions continued, became too much, and he clawed for purchase against the slick countertop, trying desperately to calm his body. Finally, Tony stilled and pulled out, leaving behind the dully throbbing ache that mirrored the one in his chest.

Exhaustion swept over Tony like a fast tide as he struggled to get his breathing under control, to slow his pounding heart. Jethro’s thighs trembled against his equally rubbery ones and he quickly grabbed the washcloth from the sink and made a passing attempt to clean them up. Somehow they made their way over to the couch, leaving the mess on the kitchen floor to be dealt with later. Much later. Backing up against one end of the sofa, he pulled Gibbs gently into the space between his thighs, supported him against his chest despite the older man’s feeble protests, and pulled a soft blanket over both of them to stave off the chill that was settling over him as his sweat dried.

Jethro hummed in contentment as Tony’s fingers trailed is slow circles over the swell of his belly. The baby inside was still for once, perhaps rocked to sleep by the motion of their bodies.

“Scares the fuck out of me how much I don’t want to leave you, Gibbs,” Tony said quietly as his fingertips paused their gentle exploration.

Jethro sighed, didn’t respond at first. “I know,” he said finally.

DiNozzo waited to see if anything else would come but when it didn’t he took his chance and moved forward. “I love you.” It came out as a hoarse whisper rather than the confident declaration he’d imagined.

Gibbs stiffened as the words took shape on his tongue automatically, but the sound of his blood pounding in his ears filled the space where they should have fit. “I know,” he said instead, padding the two impotent syllables with the trenchant fear that had him suddenly clutching tightly to Tony’s hands.

“I said I love you, Jethro.” This time he was more confident. “And I don’t really care anymore if it’s too soon or if you’re not ready, because I am. I’m ready to say it and it’s okay if you don’t…it’s okay of you can’t, but I know…I _know_ you do and I don’t want to leave here without you hearing it, without you _knowing_ it.” His lips moved against the softness of Gibbs’ hair.

Jethro’s chest was so tight he could barely breathe and his throat felt like it was on fire. He drew Tony’s palm to his lips slowly and kissed it reverently, placed it in the center of his chest. “I know,” he rasped, letting the pain flow out into the heat of the younger man’s palm.

It was enough for now.

* * *

 

Tony groaned as the squealing of his alarm dragged him from the blissful embrace of sleep and Jethro’s arms. He tried to slip out of bed quietly but Gibbs dragged him back, nuzzled into his neck sleepily.

“Don’t go,” Jethro muttered against the curve of his ear.

Tony chuckled lightly and kissed the line of his jaw. “Mmm…I’d stay but my boss is a demanding son of a bitch. Got a big case.”

“It can wait.” Gibbs suckled his earlobe.

“Oh no ya don’t.” Tony tried to extract himself from the hands that were suddenly everywhere at once. “Five minutes here turns into forty five minutes in the shower and, while it’s definitely my very favorite way to wake up in the morning, I don’t have time to fuck you _and_ run back to my house to get clothes for work, which I am out of after spending the last three nights here.” He swatted playfully at Jethro’s fingers as they reached for his cock and managed to slide off the edge of the bed.

“Wear some of mine. Can’t fit into any of ‘em now anyway,” he offered.

“Oh yeah, that’ll look really good. Not suspicious at all, Jethro.” Tony searched for his discarded clothing on the floor.

Gibbs propped himself up on his elbow and watched DiNozzo pull on his boxers in the half-light. Had it really been three nights in a row? In the beginning they’d stuck to weekends only when it came to spending the night, but Jethro would be the first to admit that he had asked Tony to stay on more than one weeknight after the devastation over Shannon and Kelly had reared its ugly head. It felt good to fall into bed with DiNozzo after a long day, felt good to wake up to the hard muscle of the younger man pressed solidly against his back, to the soft flat of Tony’s palm sliding lovingly over his belly. A thought occurred to him that he wasn’t sure how to put words to.

“What?” Tony caught his odd look.

“Was just thinking…”He hesitated, still uncertain the idea was really a good one just now.

“Thinking what?” DiNozzo asked suspiciously.

“Was thinking maybe you should start keeping some things here when you get back,” he ventured. “Was thinking I might like it if you did.”

Tony sank back down on the mattress. “You sure?” He didn’t quite follow the road map in Gibbs’ head from last night to here.

“Wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t,” he said steadily.  Something about it felt right and he didn’t question the instinct too deeply.

“Then I think I’d like that too,” Tony leaned down to kiss Jethro lightly and was immediately pulled back into the warm hollow of his arms.

“Now, about that shower,” Gibbs growled.

 


	14. Deciding

Despite the revelations of the morning, Tony’s departure was still imminent and as they hit the ground running and picked up with the as-yet unsolved murder case, it loomed in the back of both their minds.

Pacci and Barbosa had returned with Parillo in the late night hours. Apparently he had come without a fight and was currently cooling his heels in a holding cell. Gibbs had spent a few minutes reviewing Mansfield’s statement about the death as well as Tony’s notes on the former Petty Officer’s trip to South America six months ago while he had DiNozzo bring him up to interrogation. He was a little surprised to find the younger man waiting in the hallway for him as he rounded the corner.

“Something you should know before we go in there, Boss,” he warned.

“He lawyer up already?” Jethro asked irritably.

Tony shook his head. “No. He’s…uh…he’s pregnant, Gibbs. _Really_ pregnant,” he said emphatically. “I thought maybe you’d want me to take the lead on this one?”

“Think I’ll be too sympathetic?” If DiNozzo didn’t hear the edge in his voice, the man needed to get his hearing checked.

“No,Boss. It’s just…” He wisely took a half-inch step backwards.

“That’s what I thought.” Jethro pushed open the door and had to stop himself from gaping openly at Jacob Parillo. Tony hadn’t been exaggerating. The man was certainly in the very late stages of his pregnancy and carrying so big and low that Gibbs found it hard to believe there wasn’t going to be an ambulance ride in his near future. Parillo looked ten kinds of uncomfortable as he shifted on the hard chair and tried to find a workable position to support his back and accommodate the mass of his belly. He hated to admit it, but DiNozzo was right, he did feel an automatic pang of sympathy for the younger man and instantly wondered if this would be him in a few months’ time. He was pretty sure their suspect noticed his stare as well as his belly.

“Did the agents tell you why you were brought in?” Gibbs took a seat across from the younger man who looked calm despite his obvious physical discomfort.

“They said you wanted to question me about Javiera Rojas,” he said quietly, resting his hands atop his stomach.

Jethro nodded. “And about the murders of Lieutenant Barnes and former Ensign Jackson.”

“I’ll tell you all you want to know about Javiera. All I know, anyway. But I didn’t have anything to do with Barnes and Jackson. At least not directly.” Parillo shook his head sadly. “I didn’t mean for them to die but I guess you could say that it’s my fault. I was the one who gave their names to her family,” he confessed. “But only because I felt they deserved to know who the men were who took their daughter’s life, tossed her body into the ocean and didn’t look back.” The guilt in his voice was palpable.

Parillo told them the same story they had already heard once from Mansfield. Four young men, free on liberty in Santiago had taken advantage of the town’s drinking establishments. They weren’t really friends outside of Jackson and Barnes but had fallen into company more out of convenience that weekend than anything. They’d been heading back to port in a rented vehicle along a dark ocean road when the girl had appeared out of nowhere in the headlights.

“We were young. Jackson and Barnes were climbing the ranks, had their eyes on career and we just couldn’t…we couldn’t see throwing our whole lives away. So we just did it.” He looked up at Jethro with eyes full of remembered pain. “We figured people would just think maybe she fell. It was a long way down.” His voice grew soft and Gibbs could tell he was far away. Suddenly he seemed to pull out of it and come back to the present. “And we agreed never to talk about it again. But it was still there, you know? I couldn’t stay in. Felt like I was dishonoring the uniform. Guess Jackson and Mansfield felt the same eventually.” He shrugged. “I never asked them.”

“So what changed?” Tony’s eyes flickered over to Gibbs and saw that his jaw was tight. That he was holding back something.

Parillo smiled and laid a hand on the peak of his mountainous stomach. “This.” He rubbed the dome of it affectionately. “Once I found out I was pregnant it was like the guilt just ate me up inside. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if it-if what we did happened to my own child. I thought they deserved the truth, even if it was late in coming so I started doing some research, tracked down her parents and flew down there while I was still able. I knew I couldn’t bring a child into this world with it still hanging over my head and I was prepared to take whatever punishment was coming to me.” He looked hard at Jethro again. “It changes things, you know? More than you ever imagine. It’s like you can just see everything more clearly. See what’s really important,” he explained. “I’m sorry if what I did contributed to Barnes and Jackson getting killed but I don’t think I would change it.”

“Can you think of anyone in her family who might have decided to get revenge? Did anyone threaten you?” Gibbs was certain they weren’t looking at their killer but it was possible Parillo could give them something.

“Do you believe that they actually seemed relieved? I told them about the baby, told them how I thought they deserved some peace. I expected screaming, thought they would call the police, but her father just kept thanking me.” There were tears in his eyes now. “But I don’t know what happened after I left. I never heard from them after that day.”

“We’re gonna need an official statement. And you’ll have to remain in custody until we find out if the Chilean government intends to pursue charges in the death. We haven’t been able to get a read on them yet but we’ll do the best we can to get it done quickly.” Jethro eyed Parillo’s big belly.

“Thank you, Sir. I’d rather not have him in a prison cell but if that’s what has to happen…” He rubbed nervously at his stomach.

“Agent DiNozzo is going to escort you back to holding for the time being but we’ll see what we can do about making you a little more comfortable,” Gibbs promised grudgingly. Jesus he hated it when Tony was right.

Tony helped the very pregnant man up from his chair and gazed back sympathetically at Jethro who looked lost in thought and very conflicted.

* * *

 

“You did the right thing, Gibbs.”

Tony’s fingers dug hard into the aching muscles of his lower back and he groaned his relief as the deep knots began to undo themselves. “Still not sure it was the right thing, DiNozzo, but I think it was the best thing. The girl’s still dead, two men are still dead. Doesn’t feel like justice to me.”

“Then why did you ask Morrow to get the Chilean government not to pursue it?” He knew how Jethro had agonized over the decision.

“Because nobody wins here, Tony. Either way, nobody wins. Three people are dead and nobody wins.” Jethro felt the heat behind his eyes and tried to rein it in. There were things Tony still didn’t know about the death of his wife and child. Things he intended to take to the grave. But he couldn’t help but feel the parallels in the twists and turns of this case.

“So that’s it? It’s over? What about Barnes and Jackson’s families?” He worked his hands up Jethro’s spine.

“Cases get classified. They get nothing.” It was one more burden to carry. Parillo and Mansfield went free with their guilt and the US avoided an international incident and a lot of bad press for the Navy. In return they stopped pursuing Barnes and Jackson’s killer. They had already tracked a few likely suspects through immigration but the hunt ended now.

“Something else on your mind?” It had been another long day and tomorrow would be their last together for a few weeks. But Gibbs seemed distracted by more than the obvious.

He hesitated, feeling a little foolish. “Think I’ll get as big as Parillo?” Jethro placed his hands on his stomach which was admittedly tiny by comparison. He wasn’t a vain man even though he’d always been quietly confident in his attractiveness to others. But this was much more about the physical limitations he was already experiencing as his belly blossomed and his fear of depending on anyone other than himself.

Tony smiled and pressed his lips to the older man’s shoulder to stifle the laugh that rose in his throat. “Never. That guy was crazy huge.” He kissed his way lightly up Gibbs’ neck. “But even if you did, I’d still think you were the sexiest man I’d ever seen.” It wasn’t a lie but he doubted Jethro would believe it.

“I never thought this would be me,” he admitted. “I couldn’t have imagined myself here even a few months ago. You…this,” he cradled his belly. “Sort of keep expecting to wake up. Not sure I deserve it.”

“Me either,” Tony confessed. “Tonight’s two lap dances for the price of one down at Velvet Touch.”

“Failing to see your point here, DiNozzo,” Jethro grunted.

“The _point_ is that normally on a Wednesday night after work, I’d have a couple drinks, enjoy a couple dances, then go next door and pick someone up at the bar and I thought that was a pretty good night. The _point_ is that I haven’t been once since I met you. Just didn’t fill the void anymore, you know? And if you’d told me six months ago that I wouldn’t run screaming from this the first chance I got I would have laughed in your face.” His palms slid next to Jethro’s atop the bump. “But you couldn’t drag me away if you tried.”

“Hope you still feel that way after three months of sleepless nights and endless diaper changes.” Gibbs pressed back into the warmth of Tony’s chest and felt the fear lose its grip on him just a little.

“Hey now, I never agreed to diaper duty,” DiNozzo teased as Gibbs finally relaxed against him.

Jethro was unusually quiet. Well, not unusually, exactly, but there was a heaviness about his silence that said something was still eating at him.

“That was supposed to be a joke, Gibbs.” Tony tried to break him out of his mood.

“How much of this is about me and how much is about her?” Jethro asked out of the blue.

“How much of what, exactly?” DiNozzo hedged.

“You said you loved me. And the crazy thing is that I believe you. But I need to know how much of that is you and me and how much is the baby,” he explained.

Tony thought of a dozen ways he could answer the question but the truth was the simplest. “I don’t know,” he confessed. “Honestly it’s all wrapped up together in there and I don’t really know where to begin to even try and separate it.”

“Okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed by the answer or not.

“I know it started before we knew about her. I know it started the minute I ran you down in that alley, and it got stronger during that whole case.” He shook his head. “Jesus, Gibbs, I _followed_ you here. There was something…I’d never felt like that before with a man but there was something more to it than that. I trusted you with my life without even knowing why and when it was over, I just knew that wherever you were was where I belonged. I decided I would take whatever I could get.”

“And what did you get?” Gibbs tried not to hold his breath.

“I think I got everything I never knew I wanted,” Tony said quietly. “At least I hope I have it.”

There was a long moment of silence. “You do.” Jethro squeezed his hand partly to reassure Tony and partly to secure his own fear of the depth of emotion flowing between them.  

Tony held on a little tighter but when he felt the heat behind his eyes begin to build he pushed them past the slightly awkward moment and cleared his throat loudly to change the subject. “You know we promised we would finalize a birth plan before I left. We should probably decide exactly how we want to get her out of here when she’s fully cooked.” He patted Jethro’s belly. They’d started the conversation a few times but Gibbs didn’t seem happy with any of the options they’d discussed so far.

“Only one way she’s comin’ out, DiNozzo.” He shifted uncomfortably. This was far from his favorite subject but Tony was right, a decision needed to me made fairly quickly and it shouldn’t wait until he got back.

“You could always just opt for a C-section. Anesthesia, a quick slice, and instant baby,” he suggested.

“Yeah, and at least six more weeks of leave and a higher risk of complications. I don’t think so. She’s coming out the old fashioned way whether I like it or not.” Again he was back to the fear of being out of control. He wanted to be in touch with the experience because he certainly didn’t plan on doing it again but the thought of being hovered over, attached to monitors, trapped…he just felt like it should be more private.

“What about the one place Reed recommended? It looked nice. The rooms were really big and it had the whirlpool thingy,” Tony reached for the brochure from the coffee table where it had been pointedly ignored for the last week and a half.

Gibbs shrugged. “Guess so. Think they’ll mind if I bring some tools?” He sat up and turned to face Tony on the couch. “Just can’t imagine being trapped in a room for god knows how long with nothing to do but hurt and breathe,” Jethro said sullenly.

Tony gave him a sympathetic look. He could feel the fear bristling just beneath Gibbs’ skin where his palm rested on the older man’s thigh. “This is all you, Jethro. I’m just along for the ride on this part. What do you want to do?”

“Damn it, I don’t know.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. “Wish we could just do it here and keep it simple,” he sighed.

“You can’t just squat down under the boat and pop out a kid, Gibbs,” Tony said gently.

“Why not? People do it,” Jethro argued. Now that he’d said it out loud the idea didn’t sound completely ludicrous.

“Because there are risks and you need a medical professional.” DiNozzo could see he had grabbed hold of the notion and wasn’t about to let it go now.

“So we get a medical professional. I’ll ask Ducky.” Okay, maybe that was pushing it a little far.

“Ducky’s a medical examiner. He doesn’t do babies. Gibbs, you need to be where there are people trained to deal with labor and…” he stopped himself just in time.

“And what?” Jethro pressed.

Tony sighed. He didn’t want to have to say it. “And all the things that could go wrong, Gibbs,” he said soberly, holding Jethro’s eye. “If something happened to either one of you…” He shook his head, refusing to let the thought take shape.

“It won’t,” Gibbs reassured him, taking his hand. “What if I can find someone who _does_ do babies? Who specializes in this kind of thing? Had an old Marine buddy last year who spent the afternoon working on his ’76 Camaro and gave birth to his son before dinner time. Right in his living room. Said he had some kind of midwife there with him…but for men.” He looked at Tony hopefully.

“And what if there were complications?” He wasn’t sure whose fears were going to win out here.

“The hospital’s five minutes away. Hell, I could walk there if I had to.” Jethro hoped he was being as convincing as he thought he was. He certainly had his own misgivings and he might regret this decision when the whole pain part started but for right now, he felt more relieved than he had in weeks, at least about this.

“If it’s really how you want to do it I guess it’s worth looking into. But you have to promise me, Gibbs…you have to promise me that if anything at all feels like it’s wrong or if Reed says it’s not safe for you, we’ll go to the hospital okay? And the person has to be a REAL professional. Not some hippie who read about birthin’ babies in the back of a magazine or watched a few videos. I want credentials, serious ones. And references,” he added.

“I wouldn’t do anything if I thought it was going to put her in danger, you know that. This just feels right to me.” Jethro didn’t know how to explain it any better than that.

“Okay,” Tony agreed reluctantly. “I guess now that we have the beginning of a plan at least you can look into someone while I’m gone. You’re the one who has to be comfortable with all of it. But we should probably sign up for some of those classes where they teach you to breathe funny before too long.”

“Lamaze?” Gibbs cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, that ‘heehee-hoohoo’ stuff.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Supposed to help you focus or something.”

Jethro nodded. “Made a couple of classes with Shannon. Could probably use a refresher though.” He laughed a little nervously but was relieved that the memory brought only a deep twinge of sadness instead of paralyzingly sharp pain now that he felt free to be more open about his past.

Tony looked a little sheepish. “I keep forgetting you’ve done this before.”

“Was a long time ago, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said wistfully. “Besides, somehow I think things are going to be a little different on this end.” He rubbed at his swollen stomach.

“I guess I kind of got the easy part didn’t I?” He had had more than a few moments of deep guilt as he thought of all Jethro had and would have to endure to carry and deliver their child.

“Guess you’ll just have to think of a way to make it up to me.” Gibb’s voice grew suddenly thicker and the hand on Tony’s thigh slipped toward his groin.

“Oh yeah?” DiNozzo took the hint and leaned back as Jetho shifted and straddled his hips, settling his weight happily in Tony’s lap and rocking gently against his cock.

“Maybe a few times,” Gibbs growled as his mouth descended hungrily.

 


	15. Missing

****

The five AM alarm Friday morning seemed to go out of its way to sound particularly obnoxious. Tony stretched lazily, not quite ready to leave the warm shelter of Jethro’s bed for a two week hiatus. He smiled as the movement made him aware of the dull ache in his bottom, the pleasantly throbbing reminder that Gibbs had given him the fucking of his life the night before and then, only a few hours later, rode him back to the edge so slowly, kept him hovering there so long, that he’d still been trembling with the power of it long after his orgasm subsided.

Jethro was awake too, blinking sleepily at him in the low light and waiting, watching as he scrunched down the bed, dragged his pillow with him to indulge in the morning communion with his unborn daughter that had fast become his favorite part of the day.

Tony placed his hand on the tight skin of Jethro’s abdomen, felt muscle stretch beneath his fingertips as he pressed lightly just below the older man’s navel and spoke soft and low. “Good morning in there.” He waited for the flutters and thumps that almost always answered his gentle proddings at this time of day now.

“Hey,” Gibbs protested as he felt a well-aimed kick to his insides. She had definitely grown stronger even in the last week. “No pissing off the fetus before 6am,” he groaned.

“Can’t help it if she’s excited to wake up with me.” Tony pressed his lips to the bump and kissed it affectionately.

“Not your gut she’s using for a punching bag.” In truth he loved this little morning ritual at least as much as Tony did. Watching the younger man’s attempt to bond with a child he couldn’t even hold in his arms yet was perhaps the most endearing thing he had ever witnessed.

“I have to go away for a while, baby.” Tony stroked the rounding of Gibbs’ belly tenderly. “Don’t get too big while I’m gone and don’t kick your daddy too hard when he’s trying to sleep.” His voice grew thick. “And don’t forget about me okay? Because I’ll miss you every day.”

Jethro reached down and carded his fingers through Tony’s hair soothingly. “Hey, what about me?”

DiNozzo crawled back up and pulled Gibbs into his arms, lining up their bodies so that he could feel the baby’s continued movements against his own stomach. “Mmm…” He burrowed into Jethro’s shoulder and nipped lightly at the sensitive flesh covering his collar bone. “I love you,” Tony whispered into the hollow of the older man’s throat, feeling the tiny thrill that teased at his spine each time he said the words.

Gibbs clung tightly to Tony’s back, holding him close and digging his fingers into smooth muscle until he was sure he’d left marks.

“Tell me this gets easier,” DiNozzo begged, clearly unwilling to drag himself away even though they both knew they needed to get moving if he was going to meet with the other members of the teams and make the scheduled flight.

“Hurts like a son of a bitch every time,” he admitted. “Doesn’t feel any better on this end either.”

Tony pulled back so he could look at Gibbs. “I don’t know how you did it, being gone for so long. Two weeks seems like an eternity right now.”

“Be over before you know it. Besides, warm sun, tropical beaches, women in bikinis and a few thousand sailors? You’ll probably find some hot stud who’s more than willing to help you pass the time.” His thumb caressed Tony’s cheek.

DiNozzo hesitated. “You know we never…we never talked about other people, Gibbs.” He knew by the gleam in Jethro’s eye that he wasn’t serious and perhaps it wasn’t the best time to bring it up but the older man had suddenly opened the door to something that had been on his mind.

Jethro could hear the question there. In truth, he’d only been joking, trying to lighten the mood but he had a good point. “No we didn’t,” he said more soberly, searching Tony’s eyes.

“I don’t want to,” Tony said sincerely and without pause. “I mean, I don’t want to be with anyone else, not even just casually,” he clarified, somehow needing to drive the point home.

Gibbs kissed him gently as if sealing an agreement. The relief that flooded him at DiNozzo’s genuineness was a little unexpected. “Okay,” he whispered against the younger man’s lips.

“What about you?” Tony pressed.

“What about me?” Jethro was a little taken aback. He’d not really considered being with anyone else an option while pregnant and he was surprised that Tony would even think it was a possibility for him.

“Did you still want to see other people?”

“You really think I’m gonna go out and pick someone up at the bar like this? I can barely see my toes,” he laughed.

“But if you could?” Gibbs hadn’t given him a real answer and he wasn’t going to be satisfied until he got one.

Jethro contemplated Tony for moment but his response had been on his tongue immediately. “I wouldn’t,” he said simply. “Always been a one-woman man. Guess that extends to you too.”

“So I’m your man, huh?” DiNozzo teased.

“Guess so.” As foreign as the idea was, as much as he had never been able to conceive of feeling this way with another man, like everything between them, it just felt…good.

“Okay,” Tony echoed Jethro’s sentiment from a moment ago.

“Glad that’s settled.” Gibbs propped himself up on an elbow.

“I can’t promise I won’t look though,” he grinned. “Wouldn’t be a DiNozz if I didn’t.”

“I kinda figured.” Jethro rolled his eyes.

“So just to clarify. We just agreed _not_ to see other people. And when I get back, you want me to start keeping some of my stuff here?” Tony ticked off the points on his fingers.

“We did and I do,” Gibbs agreed.

“Why am I not scared as hell right now?” He felt like he should want to run but in truth he felt less like leaving than ever.

“No idea. You wanna let me in on that secret?” Jethro’s chest was as tight as it had ever been but he didn’t think it was fear that was making his heart race.

Tony slipped his palm behind Gibbs' neck and pulled him down to his mouth to brush his lips tenderly. “Think it’s because I love you,” he whispered. “And I’m not really sure that’s happened to me before.” It was the truth. He’d cared deeply for some of the people he’d had relationships with over the years and thought once or twice that it might be love. But what he felt for Jethro was in a whole new category that carved out and defined itself in his bones more deeply every day.

Gibbs felt the break inside of him. Felt the disconnection between the sure and certain knowledge of his feelings and his ability to put voice to them, as if saying them out loud gave them life and substance, made them a weapon that could be turned backward to pierce his heart yet again. If he kept them inside they were safe, he was safe. “Tony…” he rasped, genuinely desperate to set the words free but equally paralyzed by the gnawing fear of loss and pain that accompanied them.

“It’s okay,” Tony soothed. “I know.” He rested a hand on the side of Jethro’s belly.

Gibbs’ nodded gratefully and kissed him again. “Need to get going. I’ll drop you at the airport.”

“Don’t you think that will look suspicious?” Tony asked as he sat up reluctantly.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jethro said simply. And it really didn’t. He was going to spend the last moments he could with DiNozzo and, while he didn’t really think there would be hell to pay for the fairly innocuous act of dropping his probationary agent at an airfield for his first overseas assignment, he didn’t really care if there was.

**27 weeks**

Jethro studied his reflection in the mirror by the light of the early morning sun and let out a deep sigh, rubbing resignedly at the swell of his stomach. It had to be his imagination but it seemed like his belly pushed out a little more almost daily now as the child within continued to develop. From the back he still had his normal shape but when he turned to the side, he was undeniably all baby up front.

He and his constant passenger had both been pronounced in excellent health at his most recent check up a few weeks ago and he’d taken the opportunity to casually bring up the idea of delivering her at home. Reed had not been enthused about the plan and insisted on reading him the litany of complications that might ensue as well as strongly advising the need for professional medical assistance, but in the end had agreed that there were no contraindications for him personally at least at this point.

“I guess this is where that stubborn streak Ducky warned me about comes into play?” Reed had said at Jethro’s continued insistence that it was his front-runner of birth plans. As Gibbs was preparing to leave, however he’d pressed a card into his hand for a professional midwife specializing in male delivery that a few of his patients had used in the past. “If anyone asks, I’ll deny referring you but I’ve heard good things. And I expect to see you at every single appointment between now and then,” he warned. “Don’t think I won’t keep trying to change your mind.”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Doc,” he’d agreed grudgingly.

With a last look at his changing body, Jethro buttoned his shirt-definitely tighter that the last time he’d worn it-but at the last moment, pulled it up again as he rifled in the top drawer of his dresser. He drew out the long, wide support belt Tony had purchased a couple months back-he couldn’t believe it had been that long-and wrapped it from the small of his back to the bottom curve of his belly, velcroing it shut and trying to adjust to the feel of it. He had to admit that the muscles of his back felt less strained already and with a resigned shake of his head he left the belt in place and pulled his shirt down to cover it.

His eyes lit on the bed as he grabbed his keys and prepared to leave and he felt the ache that had been with him almost constantly since DiNozzo’s departure take hold a little more strongly for a moment. The side of the mattress that he had come to think of as belonging to Tony still remained unrumpled and unslept in and he turned away before his hormones could run away with the thought, heading out the door and trying to focus on the parts of his life he did have control over.

Two weeks had bled inevitably into three and now seemed to be heading frustratingly toward four as the teams continued their work in South America. He and Tony had been able to talk infrequently and when they did connect, one or both of them usually lacked adequate privacy to do more than exchange veiled pleasantries and pretend they didn’t both hurt like hell.

Jethro had felt the loss more acutely and more immediately than he’d expected, beginning with the first morning he had woken up alone to the insistent jabs against his insides from the baby who seemed to be wondering where her usual morning companion had disappeared to.  Despite feeling a little foolish at first, he had taken to speaking to her himself, letting the connection to the life inside him soothe the loneliness that came as he pressed into the pillow that still carried the younger man’s comforting scent.

He’d kept himself as busy as he could with work, milking his maximum forty hours for all they were worth and trying not to bristle too badly under the weight of all of his restrictions. In truth, his ever growing belly seemed to be getting more and more in the way of everyday tasks anyway-not to mention the stares and attention it drew from those unused to seeing him this condition- and he had to admit that even at the end of a limited workday, he was starting to feel tired again after having much more energy over the last few months. It didn’t help that the baby often seemed to like to take a position with her back up under his ribs so that she pressed into his diaphragm and made him feel short of breath just climbing a flight of stairs.

There was a lot of intel coming in from the Cartagena teams as the international Naval exercise approached and occasionally notes in Tony’s messy scrawl made their way across his desk making the emptiness more palpable. Jethro had just finished reading one such report when he was summoned to MTAC one morning on the 22th day since he had dropped DiNozzo at the airport.

“Agent Gibbs,” Morrow greeted him as he entered the mostly darkened theatre and let the door seal shut behind him.

“Director.” Jethro studied the screen and saw Balboa slide into the seat in front of the monitor. He knew the younger agent was leading the team DiNozzo was working with in South America.

“I was just about to get a final report from Cartagena. Thought you might want to sit in,” Morrow offered. “I’d like to get your opinion on a few of the scenarios they’re still monitoring.”

“Morning, Gibbs.” Balboa greeted him with a nod. “Sorry we kept your probie a little longer than planned. He’s really earned his stripes on this one.” The younger man’s compliment seemed an earnest one.

Jethro couldn’t help the automatic swelling of pride in his chest. “Don’t tell him that,” he grunted.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Balboa grinned.

Gibbs and Morrow listened to the report, weighing in when necessary. Near the end Jethro heard voices enter in the background and he was instantly able to pick up DiNozzo’s familiar baritone rumble. His entire body was suddenly on alert, hungry for the sight of him.

“Thank you for all of your hard work, we’ll be happy to have you back in DC tomorrow,” Morrow said as they prepared to conclude the transmission. He glanced over at Jethro. “If he’s available, I’d like agent Gibbs to update Agent DiNozzo on some of the cases he’s been working up here so he’s up to speed.”

“Of course, Director.” Balboa vacated his chair and a few moments later Tony appeared in front of the monitor. He looked a little nervous until he was able to make out Jethro on the feed at which point he broke into a broad and relieved grin, but he quickly schooled his features when he remembered that they were not alone.  

“Hey, Boss,” he acknowledged.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I have to excuse myself. I need to update Sec Nav so he can advise the Vice President on his visit.” Morrow stood and looked at Jethro.

Gibbs would almost swear he saw sympathy in the older man’s eyes. “Thank you, Sir,” he said respectfully.

Morrow dismissed the two techs who were monitoring the transmission on his way out. “I think Agent Gibbs can handle this part on his own,” he assured them.

Jethro waited until the room was clear and quickly crossed to the board, flipping off the switch that would record the communication. “You alone?” He couldn’t hear any other voices in the room but wasn’t going to take any chances.

Tony looked around to be sure and finally nodded. “Is it okay to talk? Don’t know exactly how this all works,” he admitted.

“It’s fine now,” Gibbs assured him and watched as DiNozzo’s shoulders sagged in relief as he hunched forward toward the screen. He had to admit that Tony looked incredible with his sun-kissed skin and hair that had been slightly lightened by exposure to the near-equatorial light.

“Jesus, I missed you.” His hand reached out and touched the screen as if he could feel Jethro through it.

“Missed you too. Hear you’re about wrapped up?” He felt a little awkward which was unexpected. It was strange to talk so intimately in a tactical theatre.

“How’s our girl?” Tony asked anxiously, ignoring the question about work.  

“See for yourself.” He turned to the side and let DiNozzo view the belly, feeling just a bit self-conscious about his increasing girth. “Think she missed you too. Ever since you’ve been on she’s been going crazy in here.” The strong movements could be due to his own amplified emotions but he didn’t think so.

Tony’s eyes went wide and then softened. “Maybe it’s just because I haven’t seen you in three weeks, Gibbs, but I swear it looks twice as big.”

“Tell me about it,” he grunted, putting his hand to the bottom of his swollen abdomen.

“Hey,” DiNozzo said gently, “you look fantastic. And when I get back tomorrow I plan to show you just how much I mean that.” His voice took on a more ravenous tone.

“Think I’ll hold you to that,” Jethro turned back toward the screen and drank in the lines of his face one more time, knowing that they needed to keep things short. “Really did miss you. Maybe more than I thought,” he admitted.

Tony’s mouth grew tight. “Love you too, Jethro,” he said quietly.

Gibbs let the words hang in the air between them for a moment before he nodded his acknowledgement and flipped the button that cut the transmission.

 _Tomorrow_ , he told himself.


	16. Reuniting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, chapter lengths seemed to increase as I wrote this. Some of them got close to 10,000 words long.

Tony’s flight home seemed endless. The journey south had been filled with giddy anticipation, the newness of working internationally as an agent, the endless ribbing from his more experienced colleagues as he hurled for the fourth time into a plastic bag when they hit yet another pocket of turbulence. This time he’d wisely taken Dramamine before climbing aboard the non-passenger friendly, military aircraft, but now, the seconds seemed to tick by like hours as he anticipated his reunion with Gibbs.

He had to admit, he’d enjoyed his time in Columbia more than he’d expected, even if he had been heart-sick over missing Jethro, and he felt like he’d really bonded with a few of the other members of his team who now teased him good naturedly about his restlessness during the last leg of their return trip.

“Got someone waiting for you, DiNozzo?” Balboa smirked, taking in the constant tapping of Tony’s heel against the steel floor.

“Yeah, your mother,” Tony quipped with a grin.

“Come on, how many gorgeous women did you turn away every night we went out? Ten? Fifteen? And just as many men too.” He winked. “Nobody does that unless they’ve got a hot little piece back home on their mind. We’re just trying to live vicariously here. Throw your married buddies a bone.”

“Bet it’s that secretary from HR he was chatting up last month,” Barbosa chimed in.

“Or that new chick from the motor pool? Bet she cleans up real good.” Balboa was practically drooling.

“Nope,” Tony shook his head. “Just looking forward to sleeping where I don’t have to hear you two snoring all night long. Haven’t gotten a solid night’s sleep in three weeks,” he covered, trying to force himself to relax.

“Yeah right,” Balboa winked knowingly at him again.

He remained silent. The two could think whatever the hell they wanted as long as it wasn’t the truth. Closing his eyes, he tried to will the time to pass more quickly but it was still an agonizing hour later when they were finally told to prepare to land.

* * *

 

There had been no sign of Jethro at the airstrip and when he’d called his phone it had gone straight to voicemail. Torn between disappointment and extreme worry, Tony had shrugged off Balboa’s offer of a ride and hopped a cab back to Gibb’s house.

It was after 9PM and he couldn’t imagine why Jethro would be unreachable when he had access to the exact moment his flight had come in. When the cab pulled up to the curb and he saw that the big old house was dark save for a faint light somewhere upstairs, his mind immediately ran down every possible worst case scenario.

Tony paid the cab driver as quickly as he could, not giving a damn that he was grossly overtipping, and nearly forgot to grab his duffel in his haste to find out what was going on. When he finally made it to the door he was relieved to find that it unlocked as always but dismayed when he saw no sign of Jethro on the lower level and got no answer to his calls of the older man’s name. There was a dwindling fire in the fireplace indicating that Gibbs had at least been there recently but the stairs to the basement were completely dark and he heard no movement above his head.

When he passed the kitchen he smelled something delightfully familiar and flipped on the light to find a large pizza waiting on the table with plates, forks, and napkins already laid out. There were even two bottles of beer chilling in a bucket. Suspicion began to dawn as his eyes fell on the note on top of the unopened box and he squinted at Jethro’s lilting scrawl.

_Upstairs_

That was all.

 _You sneaky son of a bitch, Gibbs._ Tony thought to himself as he glanced at the ceiling with a smile.

Just one simple word, but it had his cock mostly hard in a few seconds and he wasted no time making it to the second floor. He didn’t bother turning on the lights and he had his shirt half-unbuttoned before he even made it to the bedroom where he stopped short at the scene that met him.

There were candles.

Jethro Gibbs did not strike him as the romantic type. Passionate, yes, more so than he had ever imagined, but the man definitely preferred practical displays of affection to the trappings of romance, so the softly flickering lights scattered around the room were a surprise. Another surprise was that Gibbs was not waiting for him here as expected. There to greet him however, were three open and empty dresser drawers, ostensibly vacated by Gibbs to be filled with his things.

Tony smiled and ran his hand over the smooth wood of the top drawer, appreciating the significance of the gesture as Jethro’s way of reassuring him without words that he had not reconsidered the offer he had made prior to his departure.

The dry creak of floorboards behind him was all the warning he had as Gibbs’ arms wrapped around him from behind.

“Welcome home,” Jethro growled hotly against the curve of his ear as he pressed in close and let his hands slide into DiNozzo’s half-open shirt.

Tony felt the heat of Gibbs’ chest against his upper back through his shirt and the hard curve of his belly against his spine, big enough now to prevent them from getting too close. He began to turn in the circle of the older man’s arms, eyes hungry for the sight of him. “Was beginning to think you forgot about...” The words died as he came around and a delightfully naked Gibbs stepped away from him a little, crossing his arms over his belly in the most out of character act of self-consciousness he had ever seen from him.

Jethro knew his body had changed quite a bit in the last three and a half weeks and he felt the marked difference in going from almost six months pregnant to nearly seven more acutely than he had any transformation since the very beginning of his pregnancy. Deep down he knew that Tony liked the curve of his swollen belly but it was the first time the younger man had seen him naked since he’d gotten this big and he suddenly felt a little awkward. In truth, he hadn’t expected to react this way and he wasn’t quite sure where the response came from.

“Don’t,” Tony said thickly, shaking his head as he pushed Jethro’s arms to his sides and placed his hands lovingly on the firm dome of his stomach. He quickly closed the few inches that Gibbs had opened between them, his only disappointment that the belly prevented him from getting as close as he wanted to right now. “Do you have any idea how much I missed you, Gibbs?” His fingers swept up and sank deep into the fur of Jethro’s chest, teased at darkened nipples which seemed broader and more peaked than the last time he had touched them. “And your body?” Grabbing Jethro’s wrist, he placed the older man’s palm over the fully engorged erection which strained uncomfortably at the fabric of his jeans. “This is what looking at your body for only a few seconds does to me,” he breathed as hungry fingers curled around his length. “So don’t ever hide from me again.”

The commanding sincerity in Tony’s voice at that last sentence pulled at something inside him, something that _thrilled_ at the newfound dynamic and balance that was being established between them, at DiNozzo’s confidence in the depth of his own emotional response. “ _Fuck_ , I missed you.” Gibbs gave into it, released Tony’s erection momentarily to push his shirt from his shoulders, heedless of the bottom two buttons which were still fastened, and impatient now for the taste of the younger man’s skin against his lips.

His hands fisted in the small of Jethro’s back, spread out to caress his flanks and explore the sides of burgeoning pregnancy. Gibbs’ lips moved ravenously against the hollow of his throat now and the tiny sounds of satisfaction that escaped him with every sweep of tongue against flesh sent a fresh, hot pulse of blood to his groin. Jethro’s fingers were flat-out aggressive as they tugged apart the buttons of his fly, drew out his cock roughly, and his needy touch had Tony’s blood pounding in his ears.

Working his way up the column up DiNozzo’s throat and over the hard stubble of his chin, Gibbs blindly sought Tony’s mouth, feeling an unknown and unlooked for desperation rising inside of him that had very little to do with the satisfaction of any physical desire. More than anything right now he wanted to possess, to mark, to let Tony know that _this_ was where he belonged, that _this_ was where he should stay from now on. He wanted to use his body to show Tony he was loved in ways that defied explanation and reason, ways which toppled his own fears and filled him to overflowing despite his attempts to cling to his demons against the now insuperable tide, which overpowered the words he had, as yet, been unable to utter.

Tony could feel the change in Jethro, could tell he was struggling with something much bigger than his recent absence by the way the older man’s mouth moved so restlessly against his lips, the way his tongue slid flat and deep against the roof of his mouth as Gibbs tried to claim him. Knowing fingers worked the flesh of his cock in a tight rhythm designed for speed but when he reached down to reciprocate, Jethro’s other hand pushed his arm away firmly. “Thought I was supposed to be the one showing you how much I missed you tonight,” he said breathlessly into Gibbs’ mouth.

As if in answer, Jethro’s hands released him and pushed at his chest, steered him backwards toward the bed. He went awkwardly, pants still barely hugging his hips, until his knees hit the mattress. Still Gibbs pressed him, sent him topping backward onto the soft duvet. Before he could even right himself, Jethro was stripping off his jeans and flinging them aside as he reached into the nightstand.

Tossing the bottle of lubricant on the bed beside DiNozzo for a moment, he moved between Tony’s thighs and sank to his knees before the younger man could protest. He pressed Tony back into the mattress, palms flat against his taut stomach as his mouth worked hotly up the inside of one well-muscled thigh.

Gibbs’ moist and swollen lips moving against his skin drew a thick moan from deep in Tony’s throat and he had no choice but to give in to the older man’s demands-not that he had any real desire to argue. He pulled his knees back and placed his heels on the edge of the bed, leaving him completely open to Jethro’s hands and lips.

DiNozzo’s scent assaulted his senses as the younger man spread his legs. He wanted to bathe in the heady musk, to cover himself in it like a feral animal. He’d been much more sensitive to even subtle odors since early on in his pregnancy and the smell of Tony ignited something primal in him, made his cock curl against the underside of his belly and pulse demandingly. His tongue darted out to lick Tony’s balls, already tight and full against his body, and drew a continuous line up the base of his erection to the soft and meaty head where he lapped greedily at DiNozzo’s dripping slit.

Tony closed his eyes and clung to the edges of restraint as Jethro’s lips encircled him, drew him into the warm moist cavern of his mouth. He wanted to pull Gibbs off and fuck him senseless but the older man seemed to have his own ideas at the moment and his body was too overwhelmed by the indescribable hedonistic ecstasy of Jethro’s tongue flicking and worrying relentlessly at the sensitive underside of his head to put up any kind of a serious fight.  

Swallowing Tony deep, Gibbs made a tight ring around the base of the younger man’s cock with his thumb and forefinger, squeezed firmly as his tongue and throat muscles caressed most of the length of his erection. His other hand worked gradually up DiNozzo’s firm body, tracing circles with his palm that mirrored the rhythm of his mouth. The muscles of Tony’s stomach tightened and quivered beneath his fingertips as Jethro finally got short of air and went back to suckling fast and hard at his head, but he kept the ring of his fingers secure at his base.

“Oh my fucking _God,_ Gibbs,” Tony moaned imploringly, twisting his hips against the mattress and reaching down to dig his fingernails into Jethro’s bunching shoulder muscles. Gibbs’ fingers trailed through the hair on his chest and pinched one of his sensitive flattened nipples _hard_ , sending a bolt of heat down his spine.

The pressure in his cock was immense, trapped by the prison of Jethro’s fingers, and it built unbelievably behind his balls until they throbbed and ached. “Fuck, if you don’t stop I’m gonna…” He tried to warn Gibbs but the older man’s fingers were suddenly and surprisingly at his throat, squeezing just a little, just enough. Jethro’s thumb dipped into the hollow of his throat, pressed against his pulse as the older man sucked him deep again, hollowed his cheeks and pulled up his length before sinking down again.

 He needed to come desperately now but the compression on the base of his cock held him back, let the heat and pressure build far more intensely than normal until it felt like it was overflowing into his thighs which trembled and shook with each pass of Gibbs’ lips over his impossibly tight flesh. “Please,” he managed as his fingers clutched urgently at Jethro’s neck, “oh God, _please…fuck.”_

Gibbs released his hold on DiNozzo’s throat and placed his palm beneath the younger man’s jaw, curling his middle three fingers so that they dipped into his open mouth. Tony suckled them eagerly, apparently happy for any kind of succor against the onslaught of sensation that made his body twist and writhe atop the bed. When his fingers were moist, he drew them out, brought them quickly down to Tony’s hole.

After three weeks away, DiNozzo’s puckered flesh was gloriously tight, too tight for such feeble lubrication so he gathered the moisture from his own leaking cock and used the glistening drops to smooth his way as he pressed into the tight heat of Tony’s body.

Jethro pumped in and out of him a few times but wasted no time before he curled his long fingers up against Tony’s prostate in beckoning strokes that made the younger man’s hips lift off the bed and pump into his waiting mouth. The fingers of his other hand were still tight, holding DiNozzo fast, but his cries and curses were growing loud and desperate, begging Gibbs to release him, to suck him, to stop, to never stop.

Fingers curled and pressing, palm massaging Tony’s balls, Jethro finally loosened his fingers and flattened his hand against Tony’s hip, holding him down as his body convulsed.

The dam was suddenly gone and with one last lap of Gibbs’ tongue he was through, overcome by an orgasm that stole the air from his lungs, shook him like a storm, and shot out through his fingers and toes as he roared against the force of it, trying not to be swept away. 

The explosion against his tongue and the back of his throat was powerful and hard. Tony’s release was thick and hot and filled his mouth until it dripped down his chin, and he swallowed hungrily, taking all of it. DiNozzo was still quaking beneath him as he reached for the bottle of lube and quickly slicked his cock. He was so hard he almost came just from the short stokes it took to prepare himself and as he slipped inside to the caress of fluttering muscles, his balls began to tighten almost immediately .

Tony’s eyes flew open as he felt Jethro’s cock fill him, push in against too-sensitive tissues that were still caught in the aftermath of his shattering release. His hands went to Gibbs’ belly as it rubbed along his not-yet waning erection, but as Jethro pulled back and thrust hard into him again he clawed at the sheets, too sensitive and too stimulated to do anything more than hang on against the pleasure-pain as he watched Gibbs reach and strain for the edge.

Jaw tight and muscles burning, Gibbs managed to get off a few clean strokes before the ecstasy claimed him, sent his hips stuttering with the last bits of restraint as came hard and deep inside of Tony.

Jethro’s broken groans and frantic strokes grabbed him by the spine and sent another spike of pleasure racing through him. It wasn’t a second orgasm, merely an extension of the one that hadn’t had time to fade out completely but the distinct peak of it caught Tony by surprise and had him arcing off the bed in response. When it finally began to dissipate and he was reduced to pathetic little humming whimpers, he felt Gibbs pull out and the weight of the older man’s body settle carefully onto the mattress beside him.

Jethro curled onto his side, slipped an arm beneath Tony’s neck and gently smoothed his sweat dampened hair.

Warm lips moved softly against Tony's hairline, his temple. He was too gone to do anything but let it happen, too drained to respond as he tried desperately to catch his breath and slow his heart. Jethro shook against him with tiny aftershocks and nosed tenderly at the curve of his ear.

The words were in his throat and on his tongue and he had no will, no desire to hold them in any longer. “I love you,” Jethro whispered hoarsely, feeling the truth of it in his bones. Tony stopped breathing for a few seconds and a moment later let out a faltering sigh that sounded all too much like relief.

Tony’s heart fisted in his chest as the three distinct syllables coalesced into something whole and powerful.  He reached a boneless arm up to the back of Jethro’s head and coiled his fingers into soft hair, holding on for all he was worth and anchoring Gibbs in place.

“I love you,” Jethro repeated, dragging his mouth across Tony’s cheek to find his lips and tasting the salt of silent tears mixing in with the heady flavor of sex on his tongue. “I love you.” He branded the words hotly onto the younger man’s lips.

“About time.” Tony smiled against Jethro’s mouth.

“Yeah,” Gibbs agreed. “Guess it was.”

“Candles were a nice touch,” he teased, feeling his brain begin to function marginally again. “And the pizza.”

“Hungry?” Jethro teased at Tony’s jaw lazily with his bottom lip.

“Mmm…give me about a half hour. I’m not done with you yet,” he growled, knowing he lacked the energy at this particular moment but certain they weren’t finished for the night.

“Really?” Gibbs was sated for the time being but the idea was still appealing.

“Hey, it’s been three weeks and I’ve been stuck in a room with three other guys and no privacy. I’ve got reserves, Gibbs. Besides, can’t let the candles go to waste." He grinned.

“Never gonna hear the end of this one am I?” He rolled his eyes.

“Probably not.” Tony suddenly grew serious again. “But I love you even if you are turning into a sappy romantic.”


	17. Planning

****

There was something utterly sinful about eating pizza in bed mostly naked after midnight. Jethro knew he was going to pay for it by the heartburn he already felt creeping up on him- yet another joy of his advancing pregnancy- but as he watched Tony’s eyes light up with enthusiasm while he filled him in on the more personal parts of his first overseas assignment, he couldn’t really bring himself to care.

Gibbs had to admit that he felt undeniably proud of the growth he already saw in DiNozzo as an agent even though he knew the younger man still needed a tight rein to keep his confidence and relative inexperience from getting the best of him, perhaps dangerously so. It was for this reason and this reason alone that he thought it best to keep Tony on his team for as long as possible despite their circumstances, to impart as much humility and knowledge of the need to both examine and trust his naturally solid instincts as he could while he had him, otherwise he would have asked for DiNozzo’s reassignment weeks or even months ago.

Jethro didn’t like hiding and as their relationship was progressing he liked it even less. Unfortunately it still seemed their only option and with this in mind he examined Tony’s stories not just with the patient ear of a lover but with the trained analytic brain of a veteran operative and field agent. He made a few mental notes, things DiNozzo mentioned casually about some of the intelligence he had helped to gather that left his gut unsettled. It was likely that the other agents had followed up but when he returned to work Monday he would make damn sure they had.

Suddenly realizing that Tony had stopped speaking, he refocused on the younger man’s face and found him examining him with a curious expression.

“What?”

DiNozzo shook his head. “You’re working right now aren’t you? I can see it in your eyes.” He looked more amused than accusing.

“Can’t help it.” Jethro took another bite of pizza from the plate balanced atop his stomach. At least the growing bump came in handy for something. With a deep groan, he dropped the rest of the slice.

“You okay?” Tony was instantly on alert.

 Jethro winced and shifted uncomfortably. “Just full. Not too much extra room in here anymore.” He set the plate aside and rubbed the side of his belly.

DiNozzo realized he had asked very few questions about what Gibbs had been doing in his absence and instantly felt a pang of guilt. Of course he was excited about his assignment and the beauty of it was that he could legally discuss the classified operation with Jethro and knew the older man would understand but there were also more important things going on in their lives right now. Gibbs had been able to fill him in on his 24 week check-up during a brief phone conversation but that was about it. “Tell me about her,” he urged with a gentle smile.

“Not too much to tell, really. She just keeps getting bigger. At least I hope it’s her getting bigger because I really wanna lose this gut when she gets out of here,” he grunted. “There’s a guy coming by tomorrow to talk about that,” Jethro dropped casually.

“About delivering her?” Tony clarified, trying to catch up with the sudden shift in conversation. “Still going with what we talked about before I left?” The idea still made him insanely nervous. “What did Reed say?” He had honestly hoped the Doc could talk some sense into him.

“Was about as enthused as you. Tried to scare the shit out of me but admitted there’s nothing to say it can’t be done right here if that’s what we want.” Gibbs desperately wanted DiNozzo’s support of his desire to try and deliver without a hospital visit but at least he wasn’t fighting him which was a good start. “Oh, and we start birth classes Tuesday.”

“You have been busy,” Tony remarked. He’d expected Gibbs to balk at putting the plan into motion given how reluctant he had been to talk about it in the first place. Now that he appeared to have made up his mind it seemed he was going to do everything he could to facilitate what he wanted. “So this guy tomorrow is a midwife or a nurse or something?”

“Apparently he prefers ‘Birth Assistant’. Got his card from Reed, actually. Says his reputation is impeccable.”

Tony nodded, suddenly distracted by the thought that things were really going to happen fast now. “We haven’t even talked about names yet.”

“No,” Gibbs said soberly. It had been on his mind as well. “Any bright ideas?”

“Not really.” He shrugged. “Just nothing hippy sounding like Hope or Flower or Harmony. What about you?”

“Nothing that reminds me of any of my ex-wives,” he grunted.

“Done,” Tony agreed with a smile. “But that only rules out a few.”

 Gibbs sighed. “Honestly, I keep hearing names and trying to imagine calling her by them. So far nothing feels like it fits,” he admitted.

“Still have a couple months, maybe table that one for now?” He was surprised at how natural the conversation felt even on a topic as serious as this one. They were about to pick a name for someone that would stick with her for life, truly an awesome task and obviously not one either of them wanted to rush into.

Gibbs nodded. “Guess we need to think about a nursery too.” It was something else that he had been dreading but he knew they should get started on it soon.

“I suppose she is going to need someplace to sleep once she vacates her happy home here.” Tony crawled over and curled up beside Gibbs, stroking the mound of his belly affectionately. He’d heard the reluctance and accompanying note of sadness and understood why this might be a difficult step. “What room do you want to use?” DiNozzo had poked his nose into the other closed-up rooms on the second floor a few times when Jethro was occupied in the basement, unable to completely stifle his curiosity even in the face of his respect for Gibbs’ grief. He hadn’t been able to see much, however as they seemed to mostly contain dusty boxes and the vague shapes of furniture shrouded in ghostly sheets.

“Probably the one next door so we can hear her. It was the one Shannon and I used for Kelly,” he said quietly.

The fact that Gibbs had said ‘we’ more than once in the last few minutes when referring to the baby and the future was not at all lost on him but something else was weighing more heavily. “Jethro, is this really going to be okay?” Tony asked hesitantly. “Can you do this here? With all these memories? I honestly can’t imagine how much it has to hurt. I feel like I’m cutting you open every time we have to bring it up but I don’t think you want me to dance around it either.”

Gibbs shook his head. “I don’t.” He was silent for a moment. “I couldn’t get rid of anything after they were gone,” he admitted. “I packed everything up, took it apart, but I couldn’t bring myself to just throw it all away. Like I’d have been throwing away everything they were to me if I did.”

 Tony took his hand without saying a word.

“She deserves something that’s her own,” he said firmly.

“Oh, I intend to shop like crazy for baby furniture, don’t worry. As for the other things, we could put them in storage if you can’t get rid of them,” DiNozzo suggested. “Or upstairs? This place must have one hell of an attic.”

Jethro looked at him gratefully and brushed his cheek lightly with his thumb though it seemed an impotent expression of just how valuable Tony’s patience an understanding were to him right now. “It does,” he agreed thoughtfully.

“What else is bothering you?” He could feel the tension in the fingers twined with his own.

“Worried I’ll walk into that room expecting to see Kelly every night,” Jethro confessed. “Don’t really know how to get around that one. It’s really the best room set-up.”

DiNozzo said the next words very carefully. “Did you ever consider moving somewhere else?”

Jethro didn’t seem offended or upset by the question. “No, not really. Maybe for a while at first but then I just couldn’t imagine anyone else living here either. And I felt a little like I’d be abandoning them.” Gibbs had never been so open with anyone about the subject and yet somehow it felt easier than he expected to let his walls crumble for Tony. He trusted without question that the younger man would have scaled them if he had to.

Tony considered this for a minute. “What about rearranging things a bit?” he proposed.

“What did you have in mind?” Jethro asked hesitantly, not sure he was comfortable with the sudden flare of excitement in Tony’ eye.

“This is your house, Gibbs.” Tony shook his head. “It’s not about what I want. I’m just trying to figure out a solution,” he cautioned.

“Okay. Let’s hear it.”

DiNozzo hopped off the bed. “How do you feel about this wall?” he began.

Jethro watched as the younger man moved animatedly about the room, describing in detail his idea for a master suite that joined the two rooms, added closet and bathroom space, and French doors so that it could be opened up for baby access or closed to afford some privacy.

“When she gets old enough, you can move her into the room across the hall and you get one big room with walk-in closets, a sitting area, and bathroom big enough for the Queen of England,” he concluded.

Gibbs wasn’t sure how much changing the floor plan would really help, but he had to admit that he didn’t hate the idea. “And you want to do all of this in the next thirteen weeks or less?”

Tony rejoined him on the bed. “Get the right people in here and it could be done in a week. And don’t even think for one second that you’re doing it yourself,” he warned, already hearing Jethro’s protest. You could stay at my place while it’s being worked on,” he offered. “But like I said, it’s not my house. It was just a thought.”

“What if it was? Your house, I mean?” Jethro waited for his reaction.

“You just gave me a drawer, Gibbs. I’m not asking for more right now,” he said honestly.

“I don’t mean tomorrow, Tony. But if this keeps heading where it is, if it keeps feeling…good…then I want you to be here with us.” Jethro rested his hand on his belly where the baby was beginning to stir. “If that’s still what you want when we get there,” he offered.

DiNozzo had to admit that his head was spinning just a little. “Okay,” he agreed. “But we talk about it seriously before it happens. There are more than a few things we’d have to agree on. For me it’s not just as simple as giving up my apartment and moving in here. I don’t want to feel like I’m just living at your place, Gibbs. It has to be ours and you have to decide whether you can really do that or not.”

Amazed at DiNozzo’s ability to see to the heart of the issue before it could even rear its head, Jethro leaned down awkwardly and kissed him softly. “Agreed,” he consented.

“Guess we are on a bit of a timeline here, huh?” Tony stroked the hard curve of Gibbs’ swollen belly and felt the very distinct shift beneath his palm as Jethro’s skin bulged noticeably.

“Holy shit! Does that hurt?” He looked up at Gibbs.

“Doesn’t hurt,” he reassured Tony. “It’s a little uncomfortable and more than a little distracting if I’m trying to work. Damn near impossible if I’m trying to sleep. Seems to be her new thing though.”

DiNozzo watched as Jethro’s entire stomach continued to shift back and forth with little rippling movements. “Looks like that scene from ‘Alien’,” he said in awe.

Even Gibbs had to admit the movement was pretty amazing but he was suddenly feeling tired and wasn’t sure he was up for an hour of being kicked in the gut. Jethro pushed himself off the edge of the bed awkwardly despite Tony’s disappointment. “Trust me, she does this all the time now. You’ll have another chance,” he reassured the younger man as he began to pace back and forth across the room.

“What are you doing?” Tony watched him move restlessly with an amusingly bouncing step.

“Hopefully putting her back to sleep. She always calms down if I move around,” he explained.

DiNozzo eyed him hungrily. His bare torso and low slung boxers emphasized his shape and his body began to respond again despite his fatigue. “Can think of better ways to move around,” he offered suggestively.

Gibbs stopped and regarded him curiously. “You always been this insatiable, DiNozzo?” He _was_ tired but his dick was suddenly more than a little interested despite his fatigue.

“Only since I met you,” he grinned. And the funny thing was, it was the absolute truth.

* * *

 

Darren Johnson was not at all what Tony expected. He wasn’t sure exactly what he _had_ expected in a Birth Assistant, as Jethro kept reminding him to call him, but Johnson’s tanned, lean physique and California good looks certainly weren’t it. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Tony. He also hadn’t expected the man to arrive for their appointment with a baby carrier in tow with a small, sleeping infant inside.

“I’m sorry I had to bring him along,” Johnson apologized as Gibbs invited him inside. “My wife got called into the hospital at the last minute and we didn’t have time to get a sitter.”

“Not a problem,” Jethro waved it off they moved into the living room.

“So I’m guessing by the look of things you’re my potential patient,” Darren smiled radiantly as he set the carrier down gingerly next to his chair.

“Ya think?” Gibbs put a hand to the side of his stomach and actually managed to look a little self-conscious which Tony found both astounding and adorable. They settled onto the couch and Tony found his hand slipping into Jethro’s without conscious thought on his part. He knew this was a huge decision and he felt unexplainably nervous even though their potential Birth Assistant seemed remarkably at ease.

“So usually on my first meeting with expectant parents I just want them to start to feel comfortable with me and ask as many questions as they can. Don’t hold back. I think it’s best that you be as informed about everything as possible before you make a final decision and I also think it’s important that you learn to trust me. If we decide to proceed we’ll be sharing a very intimate experience and that’s about as personal a decision as it gets,” he explained.

Tony admired his sincerity and forthrightness but couldn’t get past how young he seemed. “Just how much experience do you have?”

“I’ve attended over 75 births in the last year and I’ve been certified for the last five years if that helps. After a while you tend to lose count but I still remember every one of the babies I’ve helped deliver. I’ve also had three of my own at home so I’ve got some first-hand experience as well.” He looked over at the still sleeping baby beside him. “This one just three months ago.”

“I’m sorry,” DiNozzo looked confused, “I thought you said you had a wife?” The question was out before he had the thought to stop it.

Johnson laughed. “We used implantation,” he explained. “She couldn’t carry, I could, so it was the best decision for us. It was really an amazing experience and I wouldn’t trade it. I assume this is your first?”

Gibbs saw Tony about to open his mouth and spoke up first. “It is.” He thought it would be a lot simpler to avoid the longer story at this point.

DiNozzo caught his eye and nodded, squeezing Jethro’s hand a little. “I’m kinda freaking out about the whole baby at home thing so if there’s anything you can tell me to make that better I think you’ll be our new best friend.”

“Most people are concerned about two things with their first, safety and pain,” Darren explained patiently.

“Been shot three times, stabbed a handful more and laid in a ditch with a piece of shrapnel in my knee for two days. The pain part is the least of my worries,” Gibbs grunted.

“Then you’re one step ahead. Though I still recommend some pain management techniques. There are a number of methods available but I’ve found some are more helpful than others.”

For the next hour they talked details, some that made Tony go a little green and some that made his stomach knot up in fear. He noticed that the baby was beginning to fuss a little bit and Darren soon leaned down to pick him up.

“Sorry, it’s past feeding time and he knows it. It’s amazing how quickly they get on schedules for those kinds of things.” He stood up and glanced around. “I’m sorry, I left his bag out in the car. Do you mind?” He held the infant out toward Tony who had no choice but to take him. “He’s good with just about anyone. I’ll just be a second.”

Looking slightly befuddled, DiNozzo gently cradled the baby in the crook of his arm and felt his heart hammering in his throat. “Been a while since I held one of these little guys,” he whispered in awe to Jethro, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he would soon be doing this with his own child. The baby looked up at him with clear blue eyes and continued to squirm and fuss but did not cry. “My god, Gibbs, we’re gonna have one of these. I think it just hit me how crazy that is.” He wasn’t panicking but things felt a little more real when you added this to the very descriptive conversation they had just had about labor and delivery.

“We are,” Jethro agreed, sounding just as awed as he pressed a finger to one of the infant’s fists and let him curl his tiny fingers around it. Leaning over, he kissed Tony gently, holding his lips and pressing their foreheads together. “Love you,” he whispered hoarsely, not noticing that Darren had returned to the house quietly until he cleared his throat.

“Hate to interrupt,” he smiled warmly at them as they broke apart.

“Sorry,” Gibbs muttered a little sheepishly. He wasn’t used to or comfortable with public displays of affection.

“No,” Darren shook his head. “I love seeing couples who are so obviously loving and supportive towards each other. You’d be surprised what a difference that can make when it comes to the delivery. You two are clearly a good team.”

“You probably want him back huh?” Tony prepared to stand and hand the baby to his father.

“Actually, if you don’t mind feeding him, I can get some medical history from Jethro and some other information. If you’ve made up your mind, that is?” He looked from one to the other.

Jethro caught Tony’s eye and the younger man nodded. “If this is what you want, I’m in. All the way.”

Darren handed Tony a bottle and gave him some instructions on warming it up.

“No time like the present to get some practice, I guess,” DiNozzo said nervously, desperately afraid he was going to somehow screw something up. He’d never fed a baby in his life though it didn’t seem like it should be too difficult. What he wasn’t prepared for was the strong connection he felt as the baby in his arms suckled hungrily and gave little gurgling sighs of contentment all while holding his gaze intently. It was an intensely powerful thing and this wasn’t even his own child. When he was done he looked uncertainly at Gibbs and Darren who were deep in conversation. “I’m supposed to do some sort of burping thing now, right?” he asked uncertainly.

“Let me.” Jethro looked to Johnson for approval and grabbed a cloth from the open baby bag. Taking the infant gingerly from Tony’s arms he placed him on his shoulder and gently rubbed his back as he resumed his conversation.

Tony watched Gibbs in utter fascination. He couldn’t believe how at ease Jethro seemed, how relaxed he looked when he himself had felt like a nervous wreck. It stirred something so deep inside of him, so unfathomably profound that there was no name for it. There was love and then there was this, a thing which seemed to dwarf any description his brain tried to put to it. Jethro’s swollen belly, growing with his child, the nurturing side that the older man would have denied the existence of even a few months ago, formed a clear and tender ache in the pit of his stomach. In that moment he truly understood that Gibbs was becoming his family, that the baby he was carrying was a blood-bond between them that could never be broken. In that moment he couldn’t have wished for one other thing.


	18. Supporting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to begin another arc! This one last several chapters.

****

**June**

**29 weeks**

“So what do you think he meant by that exactly?” Abby looked at Tony through squinted eyes.

“I think he meant he didn’t want a baby shower, Abby,” DiNozzo explained patiently to the clearly disappointed woman. “And not in a ‘I’m _saying_ I don’t want a baby shower but I really do,’ kind of way. He was pretty clear.”

“But you don’t think he meant he didn’t want us to do _anything,_ right? I mean, presents, Tony…there have to be presents and punch and party games and little tiny cute baby thingies, and that’s just what you do for people when they have babies,” she whined.

“This is Gibbs. He doesn’t do punch or party games. Listen Abbs, they just started construction on the house, I’m already worried about his stress level for about eight million reasons I can’t talk about,” he ticked off the various points on his fingers. “Besides, who are we going to invite? You and Ducky? Can’t exactly bring all of NCIS over and calmly say ‘oh by the way, DiNozzo was the one who knocked me up and we’re kind of sort of living together in a completely unofficial way now.’” He shook his head. “And Gibbs doesn’t really do presents aside from weird, symbolic stuff. We can buy what we need.”

“I’m getting you presents whether you like it or not,” Abby said firmly, turning back to her computer and focusing on the display. “This is your baby too. Don’t you have a say?”

“Surprisingly, I do,” Tony admitted. “But I’m gonna stick with him on this one. He uses the belly against me in arguments now and there’s really no getting around it.” He grinned. Gibbs had recently developed a tendency to rub his stomach pointedly whenever they had a disagreement over something, which served as a not so subtle reminder that he was the one bearing the bigger burden in their arrangement. It was like being out-voted two to one. He actually found it adorable even though it meant he almost always yielded to the older man’s demands. Of course in the end, Jethro was usually right anyway.

“God I really do love the belly.” Her eyes softened as she turned back to him excitedly. “He does look incredible, right? I mean it’s not just me? Honestly I don’t know how you keep your hands off him.” She grinned lasciviously. “I’d just wanna touch it all the time. It’s so incredibly amazing to think he’s carrying around an entire little person in there.” Her voice had taken on that stereotypical quality that most women and a few men got when talking about babies or small animals that fit freakishly into teacups. “She was moving all around in there the other day when I was playing Amoebic Dysentery on the loud speaker? I’m pretty sure she’s going to have a lot better taste in music than her Dad. I mean him Dad, not you Dad, obviously,” she explained. “Not that I’d tell Gibbs that, of course.”

“Tell me what, Abbs?” Jethro quickly appeared in the lab doorway moving at his usual sense-of-urgency pace. Advancing pregnancy had not yet slowed him down despite the dramatic change in his physique.

“That I haven’t quite finished with the video you wanted me to enhance?” Her eyes flickered over to Tony and she suppressed a grin.

“If DiNozzo is distracting you, Abby, I can happily send him back upstairs to finish my expense reports.” He loomed threateningly behind the pair.

“Not at all, Gibbs. These things just take time and…”As she spoke an image on her computer resolved to show a large white van with a now more discernible decal on the side. “And now it’s finished,” she said with a triumphant flourish as she projected the image onto the larger screen.

“Tony, see if you can run down any businesses matching that name. If that’s our junior weapons collector there’s a good chance it’s a fake but let’s check it out first.” There had been a moderately sized dump of munitions discovered in an old warehouse last week along with the body of a Petty Officer who had been AWOL for over four months and they were currently analyzing video and satellite footage to see if they could get anything from the traffic going in and out. So far this one van coming and going on a few occasions was their only lead and the camera angles didn’t afford them a good view of the license plate. No one had even come close to the place since the discovery and subsequent seizure of evidence so they were left with a mystery.

“On it,” DiNozzo took off for the elevator after writing down the name.

“Anybody in or out?” Gibbs turned back to Abby.

“Two men in generic blue jump suits. Hats low, covering their faces. Whoever they are, they went to some trouble not to be seen or identified. Zoomed in as far as I could but they never looked toward the camera and with the angle I couldn’t see what they were taking out of the back of the van. They disappear inside for a few minutes and then come out and drive off.” She described the footage she had spent hours combing through.

“What about the guns?” Jethro prompted.

“Ran all the serial numbers.” Abby clicked something on her keyboard and a long list with seemingly endless digits replaced the image of the van. “They’re all over the place. Manufacturers in Russia, China, India, even the US. All brand new and never sold on the open market. The whole cache is a hodge podge. All mixed up. Small amounts that wouldn’t arouse a lot of suspicion if they were missing from a manufacturing site.”

“So no way to trace them?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Someone’s been at this awhile, Gibbs. Somebody really patient. These manufacturing lots stretch out almost  five years.”

“That’s not what I like to hear, Abbs,” he sighed. The rest of the warehouse had been clean. No paperwork, no additional stores. They’d tracked down the owners but the corporation had been tied up in a bankruptcy settlement for the last year and had no record of the building being occupied for twice that long. The last known tenant was a paper manufacturer out of Maryland but that road hadn’t turned up any leads either. 

“Fingerprints? Anything?” He really wasn’t in the mood for another dead end case at the moment.

“We’re still checking all the crates for prints but so far it looks like whoever was running this took precautions. Nothing yet on the guns either but there’s still a lot to check. If there’s a print anywhere, we’ll find it,” she promised.

“You better,” Gibbs grunted in response and put his hand to the side of his belly, unable to hide the wince at a well-aimed jab from inside. She wasn't particularly happy at the moment and was taking it out on his insides. He saw Abby’s eyes get all soft and gooey as the discussion of the case came to an end and prepared himself for what he knew was coming next.

“How’s my favorite fetus today?” She wrung her hands, clearly wanting to touch but waiting for permission as always. 

“Practicing her kickboxing. She's got the hiccups right now. Don't think she likes them too much." The baby seemed to like the excitement when he was in the middle of a case and ignoring her persistent jabs at the underside of his navel took all his concentration but her increasingly frequent bouts of hiccups were as distracting as a dripping faucet. It was so easy to go internal these days, to feel every little change that was going on. He’d even caught himself just staring into space in the middle of MTAC a few times, tuning into the movements of the child within him without even realizing it.

"Aww!" Abby practically melted, and he took her hand and placed it on his left side where the movement felt the strongest. "You know, they say babies hiccup in the womb because their lungs are developing. That's a good sign." 

"Try telling her that." After identifying the movement for the first time, Tony had been quick to do his own research on the subject and had filled him in ad-nauseum. Knowing it was normal and healthy didn't help when she was battering the insides of his belly.

“So…umm, have you picked a nursery color yet?” She tried to make the question sound as off-hand as possible as she continued to feel around the mound of his stomach as if it was the most normal thing in the world for her to do.

“No presents, Abbs,” Jethro said firmly, finally pushing her hands away as gently as he could. There was only so much bump touching he could handle at work, even from someone as close to him and well-meaning as Abby, and he had pretty much reached his limit for the day.

“Gibbs!” Abby pled. “Like I told Tony, you’re getting presents whether you like it or not and I promise, you’ll like it much better if you give me ideas,” she threatened.

Jethro sighed deeply, realizing he wasn’t going to be able to escape this particular ritual of pregnancy no matter how hard he tried. “Fine,” he acquiesced. “It’s yellow. And you’re not spending a lot of money. We can afford to buy the big things ourselves. And nothing with skulls and crap on it,” he cautioned.

Abby immediately looked disappointed. “Not even if they’re happy skulls?” she asked hopefully.

“No skulls.” Gibbs kissed her cheek fondly and headed for the door. “And my musical tastes are just fine, thank you.”

She smiled as his voice echoed from the hallway, resisting the strong temptation to start searching for the perfect baby gift immediately and getting back to work on the case instead.

* * *

 

Tony wasn’t having immediate luck with a search for their mystery van. He was in the middle of trying one more lead when the phone on Gibbs’ desk started to ring. He hadn’t answered Jethro’s phone more than a handful of times but usually it was bad news and he really didn’t like being the one to relay bad news to Gibbs.

After letting it ring a few times and realizing that whoever was on the other end was apparently going to be persistent, he sprinted across the bullpen and picked it up.

“Special Agent Gibbs’ desk,” he said professionally, readying a paper and pen and preparing for the worst. He definitely was not prepared for the news that greeted him on the other end.

“I’m sorry, he’s not here, you can try his cell or…who did you say this was again?” he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “And you’re from…I’m sorry, I can’t give out the number but I’m his…” He looked around. “I’m his partner,” he said quietly. Even if someone overheard, the title was explainable. “I can give him a message…” He scribbled down names, numbers, and information now feeling undeniably queasy. “I’ll make sure he gets back to you right away.”

He set down the phone, realizing that his hand was shaking slightly, and immediately headed for the elevators.

Foot tapping impatiently as he hit the button a second time, he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sharp ‘ding’ when the doors slid open and Gibbs almost bowled him over.

“Jesus, Probie,” Jethro growled in annoyance before he saw the expression on Tony’s face. He knew this look and it wasn’t one he was familiar with from DiNozzo on the job. This look was one of extreme worry and one he had only seen from Tony on a single occasion when it was certainly well-warranted.

“You need to come with me,” Tony said quietly, stepping into the elevator and holding the door.

“What?” Something was wrong and he wanted DiNozzo just to get it out, but Tony only shook his head, glancing around the bullpen for emphasis. Realizing that Tony wasn’t going to speak until he complied, he finally followed him into the small steel cage and let the doors slide shut.

Tony counted to three as slowly as he possibly could and pressed the bright red ‘stop’ button, a trick he had learned from Gibbs on his second day at NCIS. “I need us to not be at work right now, okay? I need you to be my…my partner and not my boss for a minute.” They had never formally used the word but he knew it fit better than any other. He approached Jethro and put a hand on his arm, something he would never even consider doing normally in the office even when they were alone.

“Jesus, DiNozzo, just tell me already.” He knew whatever it was had to be serious.

“I will, but I need you to promise me you’ll remember that whatever you feel like doing when I do, there’s someone else that goes along for that ride too, okay?” Tony searched Jethro’s eyes, saw the shift from boss to partner, from boss to parent and took a deep breath. “It’s your Dad,” he began.

“Oh Christ, what the hell has he done now?” He fought the urge to look around as if Jackson Gibbs would suddenly appear over his shoulder.

Tony shook his head. “I took a call at your desk from a hospital in Bloomsburg Pennsylvania. Your Dad collapsed and was brought in by ambulance. They said he has pneumonia pretty bad and that…” He swallowed around the lump in his throat that was part fear, part concern, part sympathy. “That it doesn’t look good, Jethro.” He squeezed the older man’s shoulder, giving him something to focus on. “They said you’re listed as next of kin and they need you to come as soon as you can.” Tony kept his voice as steady as possible which in the end, wasn’t very steady at all.

Gibbs saw DiNozzo’s mouth moving, heard words coming out of it but somehow they stopped registering. He knew he should be concerned, worried for his father’s health despite the schism in their relationship and yet it was quietly seething anger that welled up instead. “That son of a bitch,” he swore. “Always did have the best damn timing in the world.”

“Gibbs,” Tony’s hand didn’t leave the older man’s upper arm. He felt the hard contraction of muscle as Jethro tensed beneath his palm, “I’m going with you.”

Jethro shook his head angrily, not at Tony but at the situation. “Think I’m gonna have a hard enough time explaining this to the old bastard.” He laid a hand on his stomach. “Not sure I can deal with trying to explain you too.” It came out harsher than he had intended it and he was immediately sorry for the pained look on Tony’s face. He took a deep breath, doing everything he could to keep calm and remember the health of the baby when what he really wanted was to slam his fist into something. Hard.

“I don’t need to meet your Dad. I’ll stay at the motel or in the lobby or wherever while you do whatever you need to do, but I’m not letting you travel by yourself and I’m not letting you deal with this on your own.” Tony was actually surprised by just how firm he made the words sound. In truth, he was scared to death that Jethro would shut him out and there would be nothing he could do about it. “I love you and it’s not just you anymore, Jethro, okay? Tell me you understand that.” Honestly, Gibbs seemed to be handling the news better than he’d thought, at least on the surface. Tony didn’t think he would have fared so well if the circumstances were reversed.

“I get it, Tony,” Jethro sighed deeply, letting his head drop back against the cool steel of the elevator wall. “I need to talk to the Director.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes shut, trying to will his brain to work.

Tony hit a button and the lift resumed its descent, stopping at the next floor. He immediately pushed another that would take them back up. “How in the hell do I explain going with you?” His brain hadn’t gotten that far in the few minutes since he’d made an instant decision.

“Just let me talk to him first, Tony, we’ll deal with the rest later.” He felt really tired all of a sudden despite his still slowly simmering anger and the adrenalin coursing through his system. The baby was feeling it too, moving around enough to make him feel uncomfortable and off balance.

The doors opened again on the upper floor and they walked shoulder to shoulder toward the Director’s office. Usually Tony would have trailed a half a step behind Gibbs but he wasn’t going to let the older man forget his presence for one second right now.

“Need to see him,” Jethro said with barely a glance at Morrow’s assistant as he breezed past. She opened her mouth to protest but gave up with a roll of her eyes, clearly used to this treatment from the stony faced man.

Tony managed to pause and look at her somewhat apologetically but nearly ran into the solid wall of Gibbs’ back a moment later.

“And I need you to wait out here.” He turned to look at DiNozzo, jaw set and determined, giving the younger man no opportunity to put up a fight.

Nodding reluctantly, Tony pushed his shoulders back. “But I’ll be right here.” He held the older man’s eyes until he saw them soften just a little and watched his retreating back as he pushed open the solid door to the Director’s office.

* * *

 

“Of course you can have the time, Jethro.” Morrow came around his desk with a look of sympathy. “I’m just surprised. In all the years I’ve known you I’ve never even heard you mention your father.”

“We’re not exactly close,” Gibbs confessed.

“Be that as it may, I understand why you need to go. I’ll have your cases reassigned immediately, but it would help if you have a few minutes to fill the new team in on your progress before you go. Tell me what else I can do for you,” the older man offered. “Are you sure you’re up to it? I mean, things seem to be…getting along there,” he gestured at Jethro’s swollen belly awkwardly. After several months the obvious reminder of the other man’s pregnancy still made him tremendously uncomfortable and he couldn’t really begin to explain why.

Gibbs squared his shoulders and made sure he had Morrow’s full attention. “I need DiNozzo,” he said steadily, not looking away for an instant.

“Jethro…” The Director’s tone was a warning, begging the him not to ask what he was about to ask.

“It’s not a request, Tom. He won’t be any good to you while I’m gone and I doubt you’d be able to keep him here even if you threatened his job. He’s going one way or the other, regardless of what you or I do, so it would be good if you could come up with a way to make it work if you want him to remain at NCIS.” It was by no means a threat, just the hard truth.

“Hell of a spot you’re putting me in, Jethro.” Morrow shook his head and swept his hand over his brow.

“Didn’t mean to, and that’s the truth. When I asked him here I had no idea…”

“Stop.” The Director held up his hand. “We both know what you’re going to say and I really need you not to say it,” he cautioned.

Gibbs nodded in understanding and studied the older man for a moment. He could tell Morrow was struggling and he really hoped the older man came down on his side of the fence. After a few tense seconds he saw the change in the Director’s posture which indicated he had made a decision.

“You know, Agent Gibbs,” Morrow’s tone changed from personal to professional without so much as a hitch. “Most of Agent DiNozzo’s team from Columbia received a week’s vacation when they returned. Of course he refused, citing the need to continue his training with you as soon as possible, but I’ve been thinking perhaps he’s earned a few days off. Don’t want to burn out our promising Probationary Agents too soon. With you attending to family business, I think this might be perfect timing for him to take a well-earned break,” he proposed casually. “Starting immediately, of course.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Jethro said respectfully and gratefully.

Morrow took his Director’s hat off again. “I’m afraid all I can give is a few days without arousing suspicion, Jethro. A week at most. But take as much time as you need yourself. Somehow NCIS will still be standing when you get back.” He resumed his seat behind the imposing desk. “And take care of yourself,” he added. Morrow’s eyes flickered down to the protrusion of Gibbs’ abdomen and he could see by the softening of the younger man’s eyes that the meaning was not lost.

“I will,” Jethro reassured him as he turned for the door. Now that this hurdle was behind him his mind immediately turned to the larger issue at hand.

DiNozzo was practically bouncing on his toes and ready to spring when he walked through the door and he pinned the younger man to the floor with one glance. Making sure Morrow’s assistant could hear clearly, he addressed Tony in a tone that would have made the best Drill Sargent proud. “Director’s decided you need a few days off while I’m gone, Probie. Thinks your candy ass has been working too hard between here and FLETC. I’ve decided you need to take home some cold cases to help you bone up on how real agents get things done. I’ll want a full run down of each one as soon as I get back,” he growled, taking off toward the stairs without another word.

Tony didn’t need to know anything beyond the ‘few days off’ point. Whatever Gibbs had said to the Director had gotten them where they needed to go and he’d take a little public humiliation if that was the price to pay. He tried to look extra pathetic as he slumped past Morrow’s assistant and was rewarded with a look of sympathy.

* * *

 

Gibbs had called the hospital and gotten more information, finding out that his father not only had pneumonia but a build-up of fluid around his heart which had his doctors worried. He was stable for the moment but still in very serious condition. After quickly wrapping up loose ends at NCIS they had stopped at the house to grab a few things and were about to head out again.

“I thought you were kidding about the cold cases,” Tony grumbled as he shifted the stack of files on his lap and tried to squeeze them into his bag.

“Nope. If you’ve gotta sit around waiting for me, you might as well learn something.” Jethro was changing his shirt for the fifth time, finally reaching into a drawer and pulling a baggy sweatshirt over everything. “How’s this?” He wasn’t even sure why he asked.

DiNozzo looked up from his packing and smiled sympathetically. “Nope. Still pregnant. Besides, it’s 80 degrees outside. You complain about being hot when it’s 65.” He got up and crossed over to where Jethro stood in front of the mirror, looking nervously at his stomach. “It doesn’t matter what he says or what he thinks, Jethro,” Tony said quietly, wrapping his arms around the older man from behind and resting his head on his shoulder.  

Gibbs knew he was only trying to help and really he was right about at least one thing, at almost 30 weeks, there was no hiding his condition even in the baggiest of clothes. He also knew it shouldn’t matter to him what his father thought after so many years with barely any communication between them, but it was pretty obvious that it did whether he liked it or not.

“What else is bothering you?” Tony pressed his lips gently to the side of Jethro’s neck and locked eyes with him in the mirror’s crisp reflection.

Jethro hesitated a moment but he knew that if anyone would understand what he was about to say, it was DiNozzo. “Think no matter how many years went by, no matter how pissed off he made me, I just always thought there’d be time, you know?  I guess I thought even after all the bullshit there would be a chance to fix it somehow,” he sighed.

“Maybe there still is?” Tony rubbed slow, soothing circles over Gibbs’ belly with the flats of his palms. “Maybe this is it.”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “Not getting my hopes up.” Jethro reluctantly pulled out of Tony’s embrace but turned to kiss him lingeringly on the mouth. “We should go,” he said against soft lips as he caressed the younger man’s cheek.

DiNozzo grabbed the last of his things and tossed his duffel over his shoulder. “On your six, Gibbs,” he said reassuringly.


	19. Revealing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was super nervous about doing Jackson for the first time. Especially under these bizarre circumstances.   
> Also, same note as in my original posting of this fic: Go read about Centralia Pennsylvania. It is actually on a logical route from DC to Bloomsburg via byways and I couldn't resist letting it make a little cameo in this chapter.

****

As the cities of the coast disappeared behind them, Tony watched as small towns, some seemingly clinging to the last vestiges of life, slid slowly by. Silent minutes turned into quiet hours filled only with the dulcet humming serenade of the truck’s tires against the pavement, punctuated by the whoosh of cars that they left in their wake. Jethro hadn’t said much since they’d gotten on the road almost three hours ago and DiNozzo thought it better to leave him be, let him sort through the thick soup of memory and strata of emotion that always colored a relationship as complex as that of father and son under the very best of circumstances.

Green rolling hills and red clay turned into deep valleys littered with grey and crumbling piles of slag and fluffy afternoon clouds morphed into ashen skies not even brightened by the slowly setting sun. Jethro’s hands tightened a little more on the steering wheel with each passing mile. He knew the route by heart, had driven it a thousand times in his head and he felt himself sinking inward, sliding back in time to try and unravel the tight knot of emotion that had become his non-relationship  with his father. He searched for an end or a beginning, coming frustratingly up against the wall of his own stubbornness each time until the pleasant warmth of Tony’s hand against his thigh pulled him back.

DiNozzo saw Gibbs’ whitened knuckles pulse against the leather of the wheel, relax slightly and eventually slide down to clutch at his fingertips as if they were an anchor against a rapidly encroaching sea, holding him fast and steady.

A moment later they were exiting the freeway without warning onto a two-lane stretch of road that had definitely seen better days.

“Thought we were supposed to stay on 81 until we hit 80?” Tony said without thinking. Even the freeways didn’t exactly run in straight lines in this broken part of the country and Gibbs was most likely with the quickest route. .

“Like this way better.” Gibbs gave no other explanation. There was a part of him that needed the transition of this rural track to get himself in the right headspace to deal with the backwater minds that inhabited the place he’d grown up in, to remember that the world was both smaller and larger here depending on which way you looked at it.

Jethro seemed to know the way so Tony relaxed again and let him navigate, feeling like he had just been transported to another century or perhaps another planet. Tangled trees and brush lined the road along with ledges of crumbling rock. Occasionally a ramshackle house or dilapidated barn appeared up a stony two track that wandered lazily away from the main road. They crossed a few dark streams that frothed and foamed over jagged rocks and Tony glanced nervously at the gas tank, scenes from ‘Deliverance’ playing out in his head. 

After a few miles, a filmy cloud of smoke drifting low on the breeze to the northeast caught his eye. “What’s that?” He couldn’t see a factory or evidence of a town that would explain it and it looked more wide-spread than a single chimney could generate.

“Coal fire,” Gibbs said, following Tony’s gaze and realizing where they were.

“Is it…uh, is it supposed to be there?” Jethro didn’t seem worried but DiNozzo wasn’t at all familiar with this kind of thing.

“Been burning since I was four years old so I guess it has about as much right as anyone.” In the back of his mind he’d known the fire was still there but he hadn’t given it much thought. The location was right though.

“And they just let it burn? No one ever heard of global warming around here?” Tony looked closer, trying to focus on the source of the smoke.

Gibbs laughed softly. “Tried everything to put it out about 40 years ago but the coal seams run everywhere in this part of the country. Nobody really knows how deep or how far. Hard coal, anthracite,” he explained. “Burns hot and long. For all they know it could burn for another 500 years or more until it finally runs out of fuel.” His voice suddenly grew heavier, like he was digging for a distant memory. “Funny thing is, no one can even agree on how the damn fire got started in the first place. But they know it’s there. Cleared out an entire town. Just keeps smoldering way down deep no matter how much water they try and dump on it. Pretty much gave up a few decades ago when roads started buckling and houses falling in.”

DiNozzo was still looking at him like he’d grown an extra head so he continued.

“Once the coal’s been burned away there’s just this void underneath the surface. All this empty space where it used to be and nothing can ever fill it back in again.” He shook his head. “Hard to fight a fire so deep underground when you don’t know where it started or where it ends.” The last words trailed off into their own emptiness.

Tony wasn’t sure if they were really talking about coal fires anymore but he suddenly eyed the concrete beneath them with worry, waiting to see if Gibbs would continue to talk. When he didn’t, Tony went back to tracing slow circles over the back of the hand still holding tightly to his. He took a chance and slid closer to Jethro on the truck's bench seat, palming the curve of his firm belly and rubbing gently back and forth. When Jethro didn't shrug him off, Tony simply let his hand rest undemandingly atop the swell, reassured when a warm hand covered his own and the man beside him seemed to relax slightly. 

After about 20 more minutes of silence and so many turns that DiNozzo was completely disoriented, taller buildings and the pristine white steeples of churches began to appear on the near horizon. More organized rows of houses suddenly lined the road and a quaint, whitewashed sign with flowing red lettering welcomed them to the county seat of Bloomsburg. They found the hospital on the opposite side of the downtown area which Tony found surprisingly bustling even if it did look a bit like it came out of a 50’s television show.

When they finally pulled into the parking lot, Jethro turned off the engine and leaned his head back against the seat. He glanced down to where his fingers twined with Tony’s over the curve of his pregnancy, unsure that he wanted to release him, even for the few minutes it would take to get inside.

“Where do you need me to be?” DiNozzo asked gently, taking his cues from the older man.

“Sure there’s a lobby. Don’t know how long I’ll be. We’ll have to find someplace to stay the night, I’d guess.” There were a few small places in town and some larger chain hotels out near the freeway so he wasn’t really worried about it at the moment.

“Whatever you want.” Tony leaned over and kissed him. Intending a quick brush of his lips, he was surprised when Jethro’s free hand clutched tightly to the back of his neck and held him.

Gibbs needed the warm predictability of Tony’s mouth, the comfort of his familiar taste. This was what was important, this was his and it didn’t matter what happened when they walked through those doors. DiNozzo’s lips held hope and promise for the future, not the blackness of his past and he wanted to dwell in the sweet sanctuary of them for just a moment longer.

* * *

 

They were greeted by a perky blond receptionist who made eyes at Tony before her gaze settled with some surprise and a little disappointment on the unmistakable swell of Jethro’s belly. “Checking in?” she asked tightly, readying a clipboard.

“Here for Jackson Gibbs,” Jethro said stiffly.

“He’s in room 326B,” she said after a few moments of pecking at her computer. “Go to the 3rd floor nurses’ station and let them know you’re here.”

Gibbs nodded and turned for the elevators with Tony following closely behind. When they reached the 3rd floor there was a sitting area with a few tired looking visitors occupying relatively comfortable looking chairs. Tony reached for and squeezed his hand one last time.

“You know where I’ll be,” he said reassuringly, taking a chair.

The floor was mostly quiet and the nurses’ station occupied by two matronly looking women scribbling furiously in charts. The less plump of the two looked up when he cleared his throat politely. “Looking for Jackson Gibbs.”

Her face turned slightly grave at the mention of his father’s name but she recovered quickly, introducing herself as Patricia. “You must be Leroy,” she said with a smile, pulling out a chart. “You’ve got Jack’s beautiful eyes.”

“I’m his son,” he confirmed. The words came out flat and awkward, his tongue unused to pronouncing the simple syllables.  

“He was sleeping last time I checked on him, Leroy.” Her voice had that easy edge of sympathy that came from years of practice.  “Dr. Neil is currently on rounds but I’ll page him for you.” She picked up the phone and made a quick call. “I’ll take you down to his room in the meantime  and you can go in and see him if you like, but he should probably get as much rest as possible so don’t wake him if you can help it. Though I’m sure he’d be glad to know you’re here.” She came around the desk and hesitated a moment. “Jackson didn’t tell us he had a grandchild on the way when he asked us to call you,” she added with a gentle smile.

The words hit him in his gut. “He wanted you to call me?” he asked incredulously. Tony hadn’t mentioned that. He’d assumed he was just a number in a file.

“Oh dear. I can’t believe I said that. I’m afraid he didn’t want you to know.” She appeared genuinely upset but something about the turn of her mouth said the reveal had been intentional. “Please don’t tell him I told you,” she begged, placing her hand lightly on his arm.

Jethro shook his head. “I won’t. And the reason he didn’t tell you about this is that he doesn’t know. If the pneumonia doesn’t kill him, think finding out I’m preghnant might.” He laughed bitterly.

“Nonsense, Leroy.” Her tone was familiar even though they’d just met. “Grandchildren are a blessing in any form. I think this news might just be the best thing for him,” she encouraged as they walked. “Must be getting close to the end for you now, I’d say. Always such an exciting time. I’m sure Jackson will be head over heels when he finds out.”

Gibbs felt the unfamiliar urge to talk. “We’re not close. Haven’t been for years,” he admitted, unsure why he was willing to lay this burden on a stranger.

Patricia just squeezed his arm encouragingly as they came to a halt. “He’s right in there. Dr. Neil should be down within a half hour if not sooner and I’ll be just down the hall if you need anything at all.”

Jethro stood at the threshold of the semi-darkened room and took a few deep breaths, steeling himself for what was coming. He placed a hand on the curved mound of his stomach and was surprised to find that it gave him the extra push he needed to go inside.

Stepping quietly, he moved around the edge of the curtain, resting his eyes on his father for the first time in over a decade. Jackson Gibbs had always been the kind of man who seemingly bubbled over with life but to Jethro’s surprise, he now looked old and even a little frail. It could have been the bleached white sheets steeling the color from his cheeks but he was fairly certain he had never seen the older man look so pale and wan. He waited for Jackson to stir but he appeared to be still sleeping. His breathing was labored and he was hooked up to three or four different machines including a nasal cannula which was supplying him with needed oxygen.

There was another bed in the room but it appeared to be unoccupied at the moment. Jethro crept quietly across the small space and took the chair beside Jackson’s bed, lowering himself carefully on knees that felt more than a little shaky. The rush of adrenalin coupled with the shock of seeing his father in this condition after so many years was proving more upsetting than he’d anticipated and he felt slightly dizzy and nauseous.

Once he’d had a minute to get his head together, he looked up at the silent monitors and knew that what he was seeing wasn’t necessarily the best news.  He’d only been there a few minutes when there was a very quiet knock on the wall behind him. A young man, younger looking than DiNozzo even, and wearing the tell-tale white coat motioned for Jethro to join him on the other side of the curtain.

“I’m Dr. Neil.” He reached for Gibbs’ hand and shook it firmly as he introduced himself. “Patricia told me you were here.”

“What can you tell me?” He kept his voice as low as possible, aware that there was only a thin curtain and a few feet separating them from Jackson.

“We’re watching him closely and his oxygen levels are starting to slowly come up from what they were when he was brought in but he’s not in the clear yet,” Neil said in the tone of someone used to delivering bad news.

“Do you know what caused him to get so sick? Old man barely even got colds when I was younger.”

“I think it was a combination of things, actually. More than likely he just had a common virus but it appears he’s been being treated for high blood pressure for some time and I don’t think he’s been taking his medications regularly. That caused a buildup of fluid in his system which made his heart work ineffectively and ultimately caused infection in his lungs. We’ve got him on high doses of Lasix to try and get some of the fluid off as well as a cocktail of antibiotics to try and fight the infection but at his age…” He let the sentence hang. “I’m sorry, I wish I had better news. Right now we just have to wait and see how he responds.”

“Jackson Gibbs is a stubborn SOB, Doc.” Jethro wasn’t sure if he said it to reassure the doctor or himself.

Neil nodded. “I hope so.”

“You two know I can hear you, right?” A hoarse yet unmistakable voice said from the other side of the curtain.

Gibbs’ heart fell into his stomach. Jackson was awake, knew he was here, and it was time to face the music whether he liked it or not.

“You gonna at least say hello to your old man before you write me off for a goner, Leroy?”

While his father’s appearance may have changed, it was clear Jackson hadn’t.

“I’ll just check in with Patricia and leave you two alone for a few minutes. I’ll be back in just a while,” Neil excused himself and started to turn before Jethro caught his arm.

“Might wanna stick around for a second, just in case,” he said quietly. “Think this is gonna be more than a little shock.” He rubbed his stomach pointedly and watched the younger man’s eyes widen in surprise before he nodded mutely.

With a last longing look at the door, Jethro stepped around the curtain. “Hello, Jack,” he said as calmly as he could. “Been awhile.”

“I’d say it has,” Jackson wheezed, taking in the sight of him. “Been letting yourself go a little bit, I see?” He regretted the words as soon as they were out.

Jethro winced and wasn’t sure how to respond. Clearly Jack wasn’t interpreting the changes in his body correctly, either that or his mind simply refused to accept what he was seeing. “Not exactly. Though I could say the same for you.” He stayed a few feet from the foot of the bed, still hesitant to move closer. It was a few minutes before either of them spoke again.

Jackson tried to push himself up in bed a little but appeared to be too weak. “Suppose you could give me a hand with this thing?” He held the remote control for the bed out to Jethro.

Gibbs had no real choice but to move closer. He pushed the button to raise the head of the bed and waited as his father settled. Before he could put it down and step away again, Jackson’s fingers closed lightly around his wrist and held him fast.

“I’m glad you came,” the older man confessed. “Wasn’t sure if you would,” he admitted.

“Jack…”

“And you look good with a little more meat on your bones. Always did say you were too…” His hand reached down and encountered the hardened mound of Jethro’s bump where he had expected soft flab and his eyes widened in surprise. “Thin,” he finished lamely. “Leroy,” Jackson gasped in quiet astonishment. 

Gibbs stepped away instantly body stiffening as he prepared for the worst.

“Leroy, are you..?” He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud the idea was so completely absurd.

“Seven and a half months, Jack,” Jethro confirmed, surprised at how confidently the affirmation sprang forth.

Jackson shook his head, still quietly trying to process this new information. “I don’t see you for over a decade and you come back in a family way? I’m sorry, son but you’re gonna have to give me a few minutes.”

Gibbs thought he was crazy but he could swear he saw the slightest hint of a smile around the corners of his father’s mouth.

“I mean I knew when you were younger there were a few boys but you always seemed to lean more toward women so we didn’t worry too much about it. Of course your mom and I had you tested when you were old enough but we never thought…”

“I didn’t come for a lecture, Jack.” Jethro bristled just a little at the familiar paternal tone.

“No, I suppose you didn’t. At your age I guess you knew what you were doing.“ He laughed weakly. “This baby have a father or is it one of those test tube jobs I hear about men getting pregnant with nowadays?”

“She has a father.” His mind flashed with images of Tony and he felt a wave of calm settle over him. Certainly the hardest part was behind him now.

“She?” Jackson asked automatically, blue eyes brightening unmistakably.

Jethro nodded, watching as Jackson put a shaking hand to his forehead which hid his face from view. When he looked up again a moment later, his eyes were shining with unshed tears, something Gibbs had never seen from the older man even when his mother passed away.

“After Shannon and Kelly and two failed marriages…” Jackson began.

“Three, actually.” Jethro conceded grudgingly.

 “I just never thought…”

“Me either, Jack,” Gibbs admitted, still waiting for the criticism and rejection he had been anticipating. “But it’s different this time. He’s different. Think maybe I’m different with him.” To his surprise, Jackson only nodded and seemed to accept the information at face value.

“Are you _happy_ , Leroy?” he asked sincerely, reaching out a hand for Jethro’s arm.

 “I am, Dad,” he said quietly. The single syllable carried more weight than any he could ever remember uttering and he felt his own eyes growing hot and tight.  

“Then that’s all I ever wanted for you,” Jackson collapsed back against the bed.

Jethro instantly felt guilty for allowing him to waste his energy but didn’t know what the alternative was. He swiped angrily at his eyes which still threatened to overflow. “You need to rest.”

“I am resting,” Jackson wheezed, beginning to cough feebly. “You sticking around?” he asked hopefully when he finally caught his breath. “I’d like to hear more about…about my granddaughter.” He smiled.

“Think they’re going to kick me out for the night pretty soon. But I’ll grab a room in town and leave the information with the nurses’ station. They can call me if you need anything and I’ll come back first thing tomorrow,” he promised.

“Should you be on your own? I mean, in your condition? Jesus, I don’t think I’m gonna get used to that any time soon.” His eyes flickered down to Jethro’s stomach.

“I have someone with me,” Gibbs admitted.

“Do I get to meet this someone?” Jackson’s eyes were closed now and it was obvious he was fighting to stay awake.

“Maybe tomorrow if you’re up to it. Let’s see what the Doc says in the morning.” He pushed himself out of the chair awkwardly, feeling almost as tired as Jackson looked.

“Mmm…” It was clear the older Gibbs was beginning to drift off again.

Jethro watched him silently for a moment until his labored breathing evened out. “I’m glad I came, Dad,” he whispered.


	20. Relaxing

****

Leaving Jackson’s room and feeling remarkably lighter of both body and mind, Jethro checked back in at the nurses’ station to inform the beaming Patricia and the slightly confused Dr. Neil of his plans for the night.

The matronly woman must have noticed his slightly less dower expression as he approached. “What did I tell you?” She smiled softly before he had even confessed that things with Jackson had gone well.

“I’ll call with a number as soon as I have one,” Gibbs promised. Patricia recommended a Bed and Breakfast that was only a few blocks away and sat up on the banks of the Susquehanna. She offered to call and make the arrangements as the Inn’s manager was a close friend.

“Just you?” She asked innocently as she picked up the phone.

“No,” he said levelly. “And if they’re not okay with that I’m sure we can find a place.” Despite the times, in this part of the country the idea of same sex relationships, let alone men having babies together, still wasn’t a largely popular one and he was prepared to turn heads and encounter prejudices.

“Trust me, this will be just fine,” she said warmly, turning him over to Neil to have a few more questions answered about Jackson’s status. A few moments later she handed him directions and promised to call if there was any change at all in his father’s condition.

When Jethro went to the waiting are to retrieve DiNozzo, he found him sleeping awkwardly on a small couch, long legs drawn up, huddling under a miniscule square of fabric that barely passed as a blanket, and snoring softly with his cheek resting against the paisley vinyl of the back.

He watched him for a moment, heart brimming over with love for the man who had made such an astounding change in his life, who had given him more than he ever thought he needed or wanted without him ever having to ask, including his unwavering support on this visit. He was thankful that the room was deserted except for the two of them because he lost track of just how long he stood and stared in hopeless wonder at ever comprehending how his world could have taken such a magnificent and unlooked for turn.

Eventually he moved close to Tony’s side and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, rousing him from sleep as slowly as he could.

DiNozzo shifted and then seemed to bolt awake, hopping to his feet and looking a little dazed as he blinked at Jethro beneath the shock of florescent light. “Hey, Boss. Wasn’t sleeping.” He suppressed a yawn.

“S’okay, Tony.” Gibbs waited for the younger man to get his bearings.

Feeling his head clear a little, Tony looked around and remembered where he was. He grinned sheepishly at Jethro before reaching for his hand. “How did it go?”

“Better than I expected, actually. Tell you about it when we get to the hotel. Hospital booked us in at a place,” he explained.

“I’m glad.” He drew Gibbs into an embrace, mindless of the fact that they didn’t show affection in public. There wasn’t much public around right now anyway and he was too relieved for Jethro to hold back. The older man’s body stiffened and then slowly relaxed, slumping against him for support as Gibbs tightened his grip.

“Me too,” he whispered against the curve of Tony’s ear, not realizing until this moment just how much tension he had been holding onto, how much of a burden Jackson’s apparent acceptance had lifted from his shoulders, and just how glad he was to have DiNozzo here with him.

* * *

 

As the name suggested, The Pheasant Hill Inn sat up on a gentle rise not far from the hospital. Coach lights illuminated the exterior of a rambling Neo-Classical building with wings extending widely in either direction. It was remarkably beautiful and also pretty damn expensive looking. Jethro hadn’t even thought to ask what the rates for the place were before he let Patricia book them in.

“Think we might wanna reconsider a night at the budget inn.” Gibbs glanced at the rich stained glass of the entryway door.

“Come on, Jethro. We could use a little pampering. Been in the car half the day and that couch didn’t do anything for my back.” Tony stretched as they stepped out of the truck.

“A bed’s a bed.” He still wasn’t convinced this place was going to be good for his wallet.

“Not when you’re seven and a half months pregnant. You’re stressed and you need a good night’s sleep.”

“Don’t mother me, DiNozzo,” Jethro cautioned, thought he knew the younger man was right and the idea of a soft mattress and maybe even a warm bath was tremendously tempting right now.  

“Someone has to.” Tony grinned as he pulled both their duffels from the back of the cab and grabbed the long body pillow that Gibbs had argued adamantly against bringing even though it was pretty much the only thing that let him sleep comfortably these days. This was one war Tony had won. “Don’t worry about the money, Gibbs. This one’s on me” he said sincerely.

“We’ll see about that,” Jethro grunted.

They were greeted by the Inn’s manager who introduced herself as Grace Spaulding. She appeared to be somewhere in her early sixties and her tight bun and polished appearance were at immediate odds with her warm smile and friendly eyes.

“Welcome to The Pheasant. You must be Leroy,” she addressed Gibbs.

Tony choked back a snort at the name and earned a glare from Jethro.

“I am. Beautiful place you have. But we don’t need anything fancy. Just a place to sleep for a night or two.” He glanced around at the lavish furnishings, a bit afraid to hear the price tag.

“I’m afraid we’re quite full this week. Just one room left and it’s our King Suite. But I can give it to you at our regular double rate since I don’t have a booking for it the next few days,” she offered. “Least I can do. Patricia tells me you’re visiting family at St. Johns?” Grace handed him a guest register to fill out.

“My father,” Jethro confirmed. “Appreciate you fitting us in.” He had to admit he was a little surprised by the reception he and Tony were getting in the town so far. Apparently things had changed more than a bit since his departure. Always the investigator, his eyes lit on a photo to the side of the large desk which made things much more clear. “Nice family,” he remarked. 

“My son and his husband and their twin girls,” Grace smiled fondly as she picked up the photo. “Those young ladies are up past my shoulders now. Can’t believe how fast they grow,” she sighed wistfully. “Is this your first?”

“It is.” Tony stepped in to save Jethro from the choice between a lie and an uncomfortable explanation.

“I was hoping they’d have a half dozen more but apparently that’s out of fashion these days.” Her warm smile took in both of them as Gibbs finished with the register.” I’ll show you your room. Leave your bags here and I’ll have our man bring them up for you.”

Tony’s mind went to the cold case files that were in his duffel. “It’s no problem. We packed light.” He insisted on taking them up himself and they quickly arrived at a room near the center of the second floor.

“Please ring down if you need anything at all. I’m afraid our dining room is closed for the night but if you haven’t eaten I can easily send you up some sandwiches and a few snacks,” she offered.

DiNozzo perked up instantly. “Do you have pastrami on rye?” He dodged another glare from Gibbs.

“Anything you have will be appreciated, Ma’am.” Jethro said more politely as their hostess stepped back into the hall.

“Please, you must call me Grace,” she insisted, placing her fingers lightly on Gibbs’ arm. “I’ll see what I can put together.” She retreated with a smile.

Tony dropped their bags as Jethro closed the door. “Nice,” he said offhandedly as he looked around. He liked to consider himself rather a connoisseur of hotels and the like as he’d spent a few years of his life calling them home. This one was a bit more warm and welcoming than the opulent and modern suites of his tortured youth and his eye went longingly to the king sized bed with its fluffy white cotton duvet and heavy quilt draped across the foot.

Jethro had more pressing matters to attend to and immediately sought out the bathroom. Once he’d had a piss he eyed the impressively sized tub with both delight and focused intent.

Hearing water running in the next room, Tony immediately went to investigate and found Gibbs already bared to the waist and about to shed the rest of his clothing. “Not wasting any time, huh? Damn nice tub.” He grinned. “Big enough for two, I’d say.” He looked hopefully at Jethro.

“Next time.” Gibbs promised, hating the disappointed look on Tony’s face even though he knew that the younger man understood. “Just need a few minutes to relax. Won’t be long.” Pulling DiNozzo close for emphasis, he slipped a hand behind his neck and kissed him slow and deep, tongue writing vows of future pleasure as it slipped in and out temptingly between his lips.

Tony shivered as Jethro released him, the ticking of his pulse having picked up significantly in a very short period. “I’ll hold you to that.” He smirked lasciviously as his eyes lingered hungrily on Gibbs’ naked body until he reluctantly pulled the door closed, leaving the older man alone to his ablutions.

He’d been cautioned against baths when he’d first found out about the baby which was fine because he was primarily a shower man. But in the last few weeks he’d found the cramps in his back and legs eased mercifully in the warm water and he’d been assured it was now safe provided the bath wasn’t too hot and he didn’t let his belly stay fully submerged for any length of time.

He loved having DiNozzo around, more than he’d expected actually, and he wasn’t tired of the younger man’s presence by any means, but he was a man who needed time alone with his thoughts from time to time, even if it was just for a few peaceful moments a day, and most especially on days like this. Having no basement to escape to tonight, this Olympic sized bathtub was going to have to do.

Testing the water against his fingertips, he cooled it down a bit and then slipped carefully into the warm liquid embrace. Unable to suppress a deep groan as the water gave buoyancy and support to his heavier than normal body, Gibbs leaned back and closed his eyes, feeling the heat sink in and begin to unknot tight muscles almost instantly.

His hands went to his belly, scooping up handfuls of water and letting it trickle down the sides comfortingly. He’d been having some Braxton Hicks contractions for the last couple of weeks, particularly when he didn’t get enough rest or stayed on his feet for too long, and the muscles of his stomach had tightened like a drum a few times that day due to the stress. Of course he’d never let on to DiNozzo who would have launched into full-on mother hen mode right away.

Pulling his knees up, he traced his hands over the lines of his body, still utterly enthralled by the daily changes in it. Palms against his thighs, he explored hard muscle and sinew, pressing deep into the dense tissue and feeling it loosen gradually. He let the fingers of one hand trail down and cup his balls, dip beneath and stroke his hole, the touch making him realize that he was in the mood to be fucked tonight, to feel the deeper and all-consuming release that came when Tony was inside of him.

More than a little hard just at the thought, he brought his hands away from more dangerous territory and slid them up the sides of his ponderous belly, circling the entirety of it lovingly. He’d never been so aware of his own body, so sensitive to every touch as he’d been while pregnant, and it was only getting more intense as things progressed and blood flow increased, skin tightened and thinned, bringing nerve endings and tiny capillaries closer to the surface. He walked around half-hard more often than not these days, something unseemly for a man of his age, and it didn’t take much more than a brush of DiNozzo’s fingers against his bare skin to make him fully erect, sometimes embarrassingly so.

Inevitably his hands made their way to the sore tissues of his chest. This was a near-constant discomfort he had just learned to live with. His breasts still looked largely the same and had certainly maintained their masculine shape. Actually, it looked like he’d been putting in some extra hours at the gym lately with the exception of his swollen and darkened nipples. Thankfully those were well hidden in a thick nest of hair for the moment and he wasn’t looking forward to the requisite shaving that would take place if he wanted to nurse. The thought of it seemed so completely alien to him and he was still largely uncomfortable with the whole concept. He knew it was part of the process, knew his body was made to adapt to it, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Gently massaging the swollen and achy mounds brought a little relief and it was still unquestionably pleasant when Tony lavished them with tender caresses and gentle flicks of his tongue, though he’d had to warn the younger man not to get too carried away on a few occasions.

 It was almost impossible to think that he still had 8-10 weeks left to go but just as impossible to believe he _only_ had 8-10 weeks left to go. Of course that was if he was lucky and didn’t go past his due date. There was so much still to do, so many things still unfinalized, unformalized, and yet, despite some of the misery and discomfort, he just wanted to slow it down sometimes and enjoy it, enjoy moments like this, moments alone with Tony while it was still just the two of them. He was surprised to realize that he actually wanted to enjoy being pregnant, the unique sense of creating a home and protection within his own body for his child.

As if she could tell he was thinking about her, the baby began to shift and stretch inside him. A lump appeared just above the flattened knot of his navel, the vague outline of a little foot or hand. He stroked it with his fingers and smiled as she pressed into his touch, anticipating the time when there wouldn’t even be this thin barrier between them any longer and dreading the fact that he might not be able to protect her so completely once she was removed from him.

With a sigh, he floated his hands on the surface of the water and let his mind drift blissfully, tuning everything out but the gentle movements in his womb and the beat of his pulse in his ears.

Gibbs lost track of time and was startled from his reverie by the muffled sound of a knock at the hotel room door. Remembering that there had been an offer of food, he took a deep breath and submerged completely beneath the now-cooling water before pushing himself up laboriously.

Making sure whoever had delivered the food had enough time to exit, Jethro toweled off, drained the tub, and wrapped a fluffy towel low around his hips before emerging.

Tony was busily plopping cold cuts onto a slice of bread but he stopped instantaneously when the bathroom door opened and Gibbs appeared wet, nearly naked, and looking sexy as fucking hell with his tousled hair and bared belly. He went from hungry to _hungry_ in the space of a few feeble seconds. It might have been his imagination but it seemed Jethro was purposefully enticing him. The older man knew he couldn’t resist his fresh-from-the-shower look.

“Sandwich?” DiNozzo offered lamely. He’d already managed to choke down half of one in the short time since it arrived.

“Later,” Jethro said thickly. After his bath he was feeling pretty damn good and he suddenly had a mind to work up a bit more of an appetite first.

“How was the tub?” Tony dropped the half-prepared meal back onto the tray and stood up. He knew the look in Gibbs’ eyes, knew what the older man wanted from him tonight.

“Invigorating.” Jethro stopped his stalking advance on Tony a few paces away, enough for the younger man to see all of him, enough for DiNozzo’s smoldering hazel eyes to make him that much harder as they traced longingly over his body. “Thought about you,” he added when he was quite certain he had the younger man’s undivided attention.

“Yeah?” Tony licked his lips.

“Yeah,” Jethro confirmed, loosening the towel on his hips and letting it drop to the floor, allowing his now-impressive erection to spring free and curl up the underside of his belly. DiNozzo’s fists balled at his sides and Gibbs waited a few breaths longer before he closed the few feet between them and took Tony’s mouth hard.

He really didn’t have time to process Jethro’s quick movements-his brain was moving decidedly slow right now, deprived of crucial blood flow as his cock swelled fast and uncomfortably-but when the older man’s lips crashed down on his, he let out a muffled curse and grabbed fistfuls of damp salt-and-pepper tendrils, anchoring him in place.

Tony’s hands pulling at his hair made him want to snarl, made him want to claim, to be claimed. His tongue was an arrow, piercing the heat of the younger man’s mouth and seeking residence, making a place for himself in the void. Usually he was a thorough kisser, he took his time, taunted and teased, but right now he just wanted the sweet thrill of possession.

Air. Tony needed air and the feeble breaths he could draw though his nose weren’t doing it. But he had no desire to break from Jethro even if it meant passing out. Eventually his lungs won out and he panted heavily as Gibbs continued to assault his jaw and throat. “Sorry if I taste like pastrami,” he said breathily, unsure where the thought had even come from. Jethro’s hands suddenly framed his face and he had only a moment to try and fathom the myriad of emotions playing out behind the unnerving blue of his eyes.

Gibbs licked his lips and smiled, tasting nothing but DiNozzo and unable to explain in this moment why it was the most delicious thing in the world to him. He hummed needily, taking Tony’s lips again and swallowing his shaky moans.

“Take your clothes off,” Jethro ordered when he finally pulled away, leaving a somewhat disoriented DiNozzo standing next to the dinner cart as he crawled onto the tall bed and grabbed the lube, which Tony’d had the foresight to unpack, from the nightstand. Smearing the clear and viscous fluid onto his fingertips he lay on his side and curled around his belly, fingering himself open as he watched DiNozzo undress hurriedly.

Realizing a second too late what Jethro was about to do, Tony’s fingers paused at the buttons of his shirt while he viewed the sexiest display he’d ever seen. Just the sight of Gibbs lying wanton and desperate enough to fuck himself open in anticipation while he stood right there was almost enough to make him come and he shuddered from head to toe at the utter deliciousness of it. “ _Fuck,_ ” he swore unconsciously, drawing Jethro’s eyes as he pulled out of his shirtsleeves awkwardly.

“Faster,” Gibbs commanded, need making him impatient as his muscles stretched and his cock leaked fat drops into the crease of his thigh.

By the time Tony had his pants around his ankles, Jethro had moved up onto his knees and spread his thighs, making DiNozzo a place as he tightened his fingers around the curve of the solid oak headboard. His belly hung beneath him and the shift in weight actually felt good. “Don’t wait. Gonna come fast the first time,” he warned, already feeling his balls tight and heavy. This is how it had been for the last few weeks. Their first fuck of the night was usually quick-and they did often have more than one-with him coming fast and hard, almost unable to handle the intensity of his release. Sometimes DiNozzo waited and came with him the second time, sometimes the younger man was able to get off more than once if he was bottoming or if they went without for a night, though was becoming rare as well.

“Not an issue tonight, believe me.” Finally naked, Tony moved quickly up against Gibbs, lining up with his glistening hole and sliding inside slowly, cock pushing unrelentingly against the resistance of tight heat until he was buried fully.

Fingernails digging into the hard wood, Jethro fought the strong urge to come as Tony’s thick head and shaft slid over his swollen prostate, engorged with the release he was near desperate to spend.

Hating the fact that making love had become much more difficult face to face, Tony had found ways to adapt. Once inside, he wrapped his arms around Gibbs and pulled him back so that they were both on their knees, Jethro straddling his lap and still fully impaled on his cock while Tony sat on his heels. 

“Feels…so good.” Gibbs ground himself onto Tony’s erection, circling his hips a few times before he began to lift steadily up and down, thighs supporting him as he moved. He was so tight, having barely stretched himself out, and the friction of a thick cock sliding in and out against the hard ring of muscle was tortuously exquisite. Jethro knew he needed to be quiet, knew they weren’t in the privacy of their own home and that there could be ears listening in adjoining rooms or passing by in the hallway, but as they sped up, as Tony began to rise when he fell, to meet his strokes with devastating thrusts of his own, he couldn’t hold back the strangled cries no matter how hard he tried. If he held them in he would explode, and so he kept his jaw tight, muffling each one as much as possible.

One of Tony’s arms supported Jethro’s big belly as they moved and the other roamed wildly across his chest, his shoulders, his throat, already feeling the tiny warning contractions from deep inside Gibbs’ body that said he was reaching his limits. He loved the muted and insanely abandoned noises and curses coming from Jethro’s throat, loved to feel the vibration of them against his fingertips, but when it became clear that the older man could no longer maintain a volume that would be contained within the walls of their room, he did the only thing he could.

Gibbs wanted to roar as Tony’s palm slid across his mouth, partly in frustration and partly in relief. They took up a fast and desperate rhythm now, while the hand that had been wrapped around the bottom of his stomach grasped his dick and began to pull feverishly at the weeping head.

“Jesus… I love you like this… So fucking sexy, Jethro…when you want my cock this much…when you beg me to touch you… gonna make me come soon,” Tony muttered brokenly against the curve of Jethro’s ear, flicking his tongue against the sensitive cartilage in time with the pulse of his hips. “Oh Jesus, Gibbs…right now…right fucking _now_ …oh shit… _shit.._.” His body shuddered as his orgasm hit him, slamming up his spine and back down again as his balls contracted and the tip of his cock exploded with the powerful release of built up pressure, curling his toes and making his thighs shake uncontrollably. The taste of Gibbs’ salted skin filled his mouth and he suckled blood to the surface, marking him recklessly while Jethro’s seed spilled over his fist.

Jethro sank his teeth mercilessly into the soft flesh of Tony’s palm as the shock of release tore through him. He fought against the restraint as he howled with the indescribable pleasure of it, unable to hold back the torrent as thick streams of cum shot out onto the pristine coverlet and then dribbled over Tony's knuckles as the younger man continued to stroke him and milk every last drop.

Tony rolled them onto their sides, still buried in the rippling warmth of Jethro’s body as the older man continued to tremble. Thankfully his exuberant cries had quieted to soft grunts and whimpers and he kept his hands still and firm around the bottom of Jethro’s belly, knowing that Gibbs was too sensitive right now for the light brush of his fingers.

“Sorry about the noise,” Gibbs finally muttered breathlessly after what seemed like an unusually long time even for him.

Knowing that the ability to form sentences again signaled that Jethro was finally coming down a little, Tony kissed the back of his neck lightly. “Mmm…I like it when you’re loud. Still surprises the fuck out of me every time. Maybe not the best idea here, though,” he admitted.

“Yeah…shit _,”_ Gibbs groaned low into the pillow beneath him as Tony pulled out. “Little warning next time, DiNozzo,” he panted, still feeling intensely sensitive.

“Sorry. You okay?” He smoothed the damp hair from Jethro’s forehead apologetically.

“Ummhmm,” he mumbled lazily. “This pregnancy thing has its perks, I will say that. Or maybe it’s just you.” Gibbs rolled partly onto his back so Tony could kiss him.

Toying languidly with Jethro’s mouth didn’t do much to clear the post-coital fog from his head. “Maybe a little of both.” Tony grinned against kiss-swollen lips.

A moment later they were interrupted by a deep rumble from Jethro’s stomach with made both men laugh. They may have gotten distracted but his body had clearly not completely forgotten that there was food in the room. “Time to feed the kid.” Gibbs patted his stomach.

“And maybe clean up a little.” Tony took in the mess on the duvet beside them.

“Might as well wait.” Gibbs traced his thumb across the younger man’s lips as they moved to the edge of the bed. “We’re not done messing it up yet,” he promised, leaving DiNozzo gaping incredulously at him as he walked over and began preparing a sandwich, still fully unclothed.

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” Tony muttered, though not at all unhappily.

“But what a great way to go.” Jethro actually had the gall to wink as he bit into his hastily prepared dinner.


	21. Chapter 21

****

Tony awakened to Jethro stirring restlessly against him. Gibbs had woken more than a few times through the night and was fidgety for the remainder of it resulting in poor sleep for both of them. DiNozzo knew he was still worried about his father, perhaps anticipating the call that would send him rushing back to the hospital. It was only barely light outside, maybe six or six thirty at the latest, and he really wanted the older man to get some more rest.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, nuzzling into the soft hair at Jethro’s nape and rubbing gentle circles against his hip.

“Mmm…that’s not gonna help,” Jethro rumbled as he stretched and slowly turned onto his back and then his other side, facing DiNozzo as he slipped a knee between his thighs and tucked himself under the younger man’s chin.  

Tony wrapped his arms around Gibbs’ back, a little surprised when Jethro curled against him and snuggled into the hollow of his shoulder.

“Let’s just stay here all day. No NCIS, no hospitals, no fathers, just us.” He pressed his lips to the soft fur of Tony’s chest for emphasis.

The proposition would have been an impossible one to turn down if DiNozzo didn’t know what was underlying it. “He’ll be okay, Jethro,” Tony soothed quietly, tightening his arms and resting his cheek atop the silvered dome of the older man’s head.

Gibbs’ breathing hitched and his fingertips dug into soft flesh, finally letting the thing that had been eating at him quietly since they were alone in the elevator the day before out of its cage. “What if he isn’t?” It took all he had to put voice to his fear.

Tony knew that this was the thought that had been keeping him awake last night, that it was partly responsible for the fact that Jethro had tried-albeit unsuccessfully- to entice his cock into a third round of needy sex even when they were both obviously spent and sated. Gibbs was almost as skilled at avoidance as DiNozzo himself, something else he’d resonated with since early on in their relationship, but at least this was one thing he knew how to handle. “Then we deal with it.”

“He’s my father, Tony.” Jethro argued stubbornly. “I deal with it.”

“And you’re my family.” It was the first time he’d used the phrase and applied it to Gibbs outside his own mind. “Whether you want to be, whether you asked to be, you are. So _we_ deal with things like this for as long as we decide to be together, Jethro,” he said firmly. “Get over it.”

Jethro pulled back and looked at him, retaliation poised on his lips, eyebrows knit together at the younger man’s bold tone. When Tony didn’t flinch or give, consternation turned to wonder and he nodded slowly. “Okay,” he agreed without further protest.

“Okay.” DiNozzo kissed his mouth softly.

They were quiet for a few minutes and Gibbs swore he could feel the subtle shift that had just taken place cementing itself deep inside. Tony was right, they were family whether they initially chose it or not, connected by blood now and perhaps something even stronger.

“So how are you going to introduce me?” DiNozzo chided playfully, switching gears with no warning whatsoever. “Boy toy? Baby Daddy? Your Italian Stallion?” he joked, retreating somewhat from the deeper end of the emotional pool as he was wont to do when things got too intense. It was an old habit and one he had gotten better about breaking, but there was something in Jethro’s eyes that made him suddenly nervous as fuck.

“Won’t have to say anything.” Gibbs shook his head, refusing to rise to the bait. Tony had brought them to the crux of something and there was no turning back now. “Anyone knows me at all can tell the minute you walk in a room that I’m in love with you,” he said thickly. He stroked Tony’s cheek with his thumb, watching the flare of his pupils, feeling the way his heart suddenly slammed against his ribs. “I choose you to be my family, Tony. Right now. I choose you.”

Seven and a half months ago Anthony DiNozzo Jr. had met a man. A man that would change his life in ways he could never fathom. And now that man was curled against his naked body, giving shelter to his unborn child, and offering him a place in his life and in his heart. “I choose you, Jethro.” He moved down and buried his face in the crook of Gibbs’ neck. “I will always choose you.”

* * *

 

Two hours later they were back at the hospital. Tony agreed to stay in the waiting room once more until Gibbs got caught up with the doctor and checked on his dad. He’d caught the younger man looking at him strangely a few times since they’d finally relinquished the inviting warmth of their bed that morning. He couldn’t explain why Tony’s silently contemplative expression and almost shy smile made his cheeks feel like they were on fire, but the unfaltering embrace of his hand was a welcome support he didn’t want to admit he needed.

Jethro was disappointed not to see Patricia’s face as he approached the nurses’ station, but he supposed she was off after working the evening before. He was glad to find out that Jackson’s oxygen levels had improved a little more overnight and they had been able to reduce the amount of supplemental oxygen he was receiving. They would do a chest x-ray a little later in the day to see if his lungs were clearing at all and an echocardiogram to check his heart function, but at the very least they could say he hadn’t gotten worse and that in itself was good news at this point.

 When Jethro saw Jackson the first time that morning he was sitting up and eating a bland looking breakfast under the watchful eye of a young aide whom he seemed to be doing his very best to charm.

“Things don’t change too much, do they Jack?” Gibbs smiled, feeling relieved that his father’s face seemed to have a little more color, his eyes a little less glaze, and he appeared to be breathing somewhat easier.

“Obviously some things do,” the elder Gibbs looked pointedly at his son’s swollen stomach with a smile.

“S’pose they do,” he agreed. Jethro hadn’t made even a futile attempt to disguise the bump this morning and the tailored button down he wore hugged the curve of it snuggly.

“Thought maybe last night was just a dream,” Jackson admitted. “I’d ask Nancy here to pinch me but I think she’s a little young.”

The aide swatted his arm playfully, clearly already under the spell of the older man and his twinkling blue eyes.

“Not a dream, Dad. This one’s all too real.” Jethro took the chair next to the bed, still finding it hard to believe that he was having more than two civilized words with his father after so many years.  In some ways it felt like no time had passed at all but the deeper lines in Jackson’s cheeks, the darkened spots and thinned skin of his hands told a different story. He was happier to see that his face and fingers appeared slightly less puffy this morning and he took this as a good sign as well.

“You feeling okay, son? You look tired. You need to get your rest not be worrying about me,” Jackson admonished.

“M’Fine. Got a nice hotel around the corner. I’m here as long as you need me to be,” Gibbs reassured him.

“I’ll be back on my feet in no time. Can’t keep a Gibbs down with a little virus. Besides, with all these wires and things they got running into me I should feel like a new man by tomorrow.” The last word ran off and he began coughing hard, a dry cough that made him wince and left him wheezing a little when he finally got it under control.

“I’m going to go check into a breathing treatment for you, Mr. Gibbs.” The young aide who was still standing there a bit awkwardly took the mostly eaten tray of food and disappeared into the hallway.

Once she was gone, Jethro grabbed Jackson’s hand, still shaking a bit on the pale sheet. “I’m staying, Dad.” He’d seen the spark of panic in Jackson’s eyes a moment ago when the older man had struggled to draw air into his fluid-filled lungs and knew he was more scared than he would ever let on. Things other than blue eyes certainly ran in the family.

Jackson just nodded but his fingers tightened firmly as he let his head drop back against the pillow.

For the next hour they caught up on the banal details of their lives, avoiding the topics that were sure to open old wounds best left undisturbed for the moment. Nurses and aids came in and out, drawing blood, marking in charts, administering medications. Jethro had worried that his presence might keep Jack from getting needed rest but he was remembering why a hospital was certainly no place for relaxation. Eventually they came to take Jackson down for some testing and he realized that over two hours had passed since he had come in. The nurse assured him that they would let Jackson rest after the tests were complete but that it could be an hour or so until he even made it back to his room.

Gibbs agreed to return later that afternoon, sooner if he was needed, and went to collect Tony from the waiting room, feeling a bit guilty for making him wait so long. He was dismayed to find that the younger man wasn’t where he had left him but assumed DiNozzo had wandered off somewhere to entertain himself.

Checking back in at the nurses’ station, he found Nancy, the young aide from earlier, in attendance and asked if anyone fitting Tony’s description had left a message or been seen wandering about.

Nancy, clearly more precocious than her young girl-next-door looks suggested, gave him a conspiratorial wink and led him down a series of short corridors until he saw DiNozzo staring into a large window with his fingers pressed to the glass. “He was asking about you and if everything was going okay in there. Looked a little worried and a little lost so I thought he might like something to take his mind off things for a while. Always works wonders for me.” She smiled gently, turning back the way they had come and leaving the two men alone in the quiet hallway.

Moving as silently as he could, Jethro came up on Tony completely unaware as the younger man continued to stare in rapt fascination at the contents of the room behind the glass.

Tony jumped in surprise as Gibbs reached for his hand but relaxed and smiled a completely goofy grin as he directed his attention back to where it had been previously. “There’s so many of them,” he whispered.

“It’s a nursery, DiNozzo. There’s supposed to be.” Jethro had to admit he was instantly captivated by the rows of pink and blue swaddled infants as well.

“But they’re all so…small and…small.” He couldn’t find another word right now.

“They get bigger,” Gibbs reassured him.

Tony moved behind Jethro and wrapped his arms around him, settling them on the dome of his stomach. “We’re gonna have one of those,” he said in awe.

“Pretty soon.” He covered DiNozzo’s hands. “But not in a display case,” he laughed. This visit to the world of disinfectant smells and endlessly beeping machines had certainly confirmed that he wanted no part of that process.

“Wish there was like, a practice one or something that you could take home for a week,” he mused. ”I mean, how do you know how to take care of someone that needs you for every little thing? What if I do something wrong and I…break her or something?” One of the babies nearer to the window started in with a tremulous cry and Tony felt a strong urge to comfort the tiny squalling infant, something that he had never experienced before. To his relief, a nurse came and whisked the baby away only a minute or so later.

Jethro was feeling a similar urge but this one made his already achy chest feel tight and heavy and he felt his nipples peak involuntarily against the fabric of his shirt. “You won’t break her,” Gibbs promised him. “It’s not easy, but you figure them out. Amazing how fast, actually. And before you know it, they’re walking and talking and asking you for money.” He pressed back against the warmth of Tony’s frame.

DiNozzo let out a deep breath. “How’s your dad?” He realized he hadn’t asked yet.

“Hanging in there. They’ve got him down for tests and I said we’d come back this afternoon. I’m sorry, I should have let you just stay back in the room,” he apologized, pulling away reluctantly and turning to face Tony.

“I don’t mind. How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Gibbs admitted.

“I know where there’s a really soft bed,” Tony said hopefully. In truth, a nap sounded pretty damn amazing at the moment and maybe a little afternoon delight thrown in for good measure. He paused a second, noticing something on Gibbs’ shirt. “Looks like you spilled something,” he pointed out.

Jethro looked confused. “I didn’t have anything after we left.” He pulled his shirt away from his body and looked at the small round stain near the left breast pocket, simultaneously feeling moisture against his skin. “Oh hell.” He felt heat rise up into his face immediately, completely mortified by what was happening to him.

“What is it?” DiNozzo asked, obviously concerned by Gibbs’ reaction.

“It’s…” he looked around and was glad to find the hallway still deserted. “It's coming out of me. It's milk...or the stuff that comes before,” he muttered in embarrassment.

“Coming out of..?” Tony looked puzzled for a moment before the meaning of his words kicked in and his mind put the pieces together. “Oh,” he said lamely, kicking himself when the reaction seemed to make Jethro’s shoulders slump even more. “Hey. It’s okay, Gibbs. I read about this in one of those books. It’s perfectly normal in later months. It should just be a little bit. It was probably the baby crying.” He tried to be reassuring.

“It’s fucking humiliating,” Jethro groaned.

“You can barely see it. It was just because I was standing really close,” he consoled the older man. “We can stop at the drug store on the way back and I’ll run in and get you something.”

Gibbs grunted in agreement and they made their way quickly to the lobby as he tried in vain to cover the small ring, not relaxing until he finally got to the truck. To his relief, the spot was already drying and Tony was right, it was barely noticeable. Somehow he had adjusted to the belly touches and the other joys of carrying, but this just was not the kind of attention he wanted to draw to himself. 

They stopped at the closest pharmacy and as promised, DiNozzo went in and returned proudly with some round pads that adhered to the inside of his shirt to save him from future embarrassment.

When Jethro was still oddly quiet in the hotel room after cleaning up and changing his shirt, DiNozzo was at a loss as to how to make him feel better. The man had enough misery going on and it seemed this one thing, which seemed fairly insignificant to Tony, had really thrown him off. When they finally stripped off their clothes and crawled beneath the air conditioning cooled sheets, Gibbs seemed distant and withdrawn.

Jethro stiffened as Tony’s arm slid around him but DiNozzo wasn’t put off.

“Tell me why this is bothering you so much, Gibbs. I want to understand,” he said sincerely.

Jethro hesitated, not sure how the words would sound outside of his head. “It’s stupid,” he confessed.

“Not if you’re this upset.” Tony stroked his hip.

“Don’t like being out of control like this. All these hormones just racing around inside me, changing me and I can’t do a damn thing about it.” Jethro’s frustration almost bordered on anger. “I like being pregnant with her and I wouldn’t change it now, even if I had a choice, and that surprises the hell out of me. But all the shit that comes along with it? Sometimes it’s just too much and I feel like…I feel like I just want my God damn body back, you know?”

Of course Tony didn’t know but he could still sympathize. “You know most of the time I’m insanely jealous that you get to have her all to yourself right now?” he said gently. “That you get to feel her growing inside of you? That you get to feed her and sustain her? That she needs you to do that for her and she doesn’t need me? I never thought I’d care that I couldn’t…that I couldn’t do this.” Tony tightened his arm around Jethro’s belly lovingly. “But watching you? That look you get in your eyes when she’s moving or kicking? I would take the back pain and the swollen ankles and the…the leaking nipples just to know what that’s like for one day. I would do this for you in a heartbeat if I could, Gibbs, you have to believe that.” His throat was tight by the end of it.

Jethro turned onto his back and looked at DiNozzo’s heavy hazel eyes. “She needs you,” he said simply.

“What?”

“She needs you because _I_ need you.” The admission was easier than Gibbs had anticipated and totally worth the cost to his pride. "I can't imagine getting through these last four months without you, Tony. And you're right. I'm lucky to feel all of those things. If I could share it with you I would." 

Tony’s chest felt like it might explode. Between the intensity of that morning and this unlooked for turn from Jethro, he desperately needed an outlet for what he was feeling. “Show me.” He attacked Gibbs’ mouth urgently. “Show me how much you need me,” he panted, rolling onto his back so Jethro could ride him.

The feeling of the older man’s weight settling onto him was reassurance he hadn’t known he needed until this moment, and when he finally came, when he felt Gibbs’ cum splash hot on his chest and stomach, finally pressed back into his pillow, limp and utterly exhausted, he fell into the most peaceful sleep he could remember, burdened with nothing and unable to remember a time when he wasn’t filled with love for the man snoring softly against his chest.

 

* * *

 

“Want you to meet someone, Dad.” Jethro felt a bit like he had the first time he’d ever brought someone home as a teenager. “This is Tony.”

DiNozzo stepped around the edge of the curtain and flashed his thousand watt smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Gibbs.” He stopped at Jethro’s side.

“Little young, isn’t he Leroy? Course I suppose he would have to be pretty to attract your eye.” Jackson’s eyes bored into Tony.

Gibbs actually thought DiNozzo might be blushing. “Come on, Dad,” he warned lightly.

“Well, come a little closer. Shake my hand at least. And I suppose if you’re going to be the father of my granddaughter you should probably call me Jack. Might make things a little easier,” he offered seemingly grudgingly

Tony looked at Gibbs and proceeded toward the head of the bed where he extended his hand, surprised at the strength with which Jackson shook it.

“So Tony, do you plan to make an honest man out of my son or are you two going to raise my granddaughter in sin?” the older man said without preamble.

DiNozzo laughed loud and short. “Am I gonna..? That’s funny, Jack. Gibbs said you had a sense of humor but I…” He stopped abruptly at the stony look on Jackson’s face and turned to look at Jethro with slightly panic stricken eyes. “Oh my god, you’re serious? Is he serious?” He looked from son to father and back again.

“I think it’s a fair question.” Jack continued to regard him levelly.

“We…well, we haven’t really talked about it but I….” Tony shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

“Don’t know if marriage and I are really cut out for each other, Dad.” Gibbs finally came to his rescue but not before Tony'd had a few turns over the coals.

“You love him?” The elder Gibbs asked firmly.

This was something Tony had an answer for and he squared his shoulders, meeting the clear blue of Jackson’s eyes that so resembled the ones he had spent endless hours mapping. “I do.” The words resounded firmly against the close walls.

“Good.” Tony’s declaration and obvious sincerity seemed to satisfy Jackson for the moment. “Then I just have one more thing to say. I know my son, whether he wants to believe that or not, and it’s clear that he loves you in return.  And when Leroy loves someone, he loves with everything he is, every single part of him. Do you understand? And if you _ever_ do anything to hurt him or my granddaughter, I’ve got a shot gun, a shovel, 40 acres, and an airtight alibi.”

By the look on the older man’s face, Tony didn’t have a single doubt that he was deadly serious. He willed himself not to take a step backwards but couldn’t stop his head from swinging over toward Jethro who simply shrugged and raised an eyebrow unhelpfully.   

“I’ve seen the gun,” Jethro confirmed, suppressing the grin that wanted to rise at the corners of his mouth. In truth, he knew that if Jackson was threatening Tony with this punishment of punishments, it meant that he was accepting Tony’s presence in his life without question and without judgment, and that was the only thing that really mattered to him. Not to mention, there was a certain sadistic pleasure in watching DiNozzo squirm just a little.

 


	22. Committing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit that the last chapter was not my fave of this fic but this one has a special place in my heart.

****

Having survived the inquisition of Jackson Gibbs, Tony and Jethro returned to the Inn in the early evening.

Tony’d held Jethro to his promise of shared tub time and the older man was currently relaxed back against his chest in the warm water, belly emerging from the surface like a perfect half-domed little island. Tony’s hand moved a soapy washcloth across the taught skin of it idly as his brain turned over some of the more interesting bits of his introduction to Jethro’s father and he considered the best way to approach a very touchy subject. “Gibbs, have you thought about…about what your dad said today? About the marriage thing, I mean.”

“Think about it every time I send out another alimony check,” Gibbs grunted.

“I’m serious. We’re bringing a child into the world. Shouldn’t we…aren’t we supposed to, you know, maybe at least _talk_ about it?” Tony honestly wasn’t sure how he felt about it. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved Gibbs, no question he wanted to be with him, but really, the whole idea of marriage was one that hadn’t crossed him mind until this moment.

“Having a kid is no reason to get married, Tony. And if it is, then you’re doing it wrong. Got married four times. Once for the right reasons and three for the wrong ones. But every time it seemed like the thing I was _supposed_ to do. You think I planned on getting divorced when I said ‘I do’”?” Jethro asked rhetorically.

“Why did you?” Tony asked. “Get divorced,” he clarified. It had always been one of those subjects he was more than a little afraid to delve into with Gibbs, fairly certain he’d just meet a closed door. Now that the older man was bringing it up he felt a bit bolder.

“Different reasons,” he answered quietly. Jethro supposed it was as good a time as any. If Tony didn’t know his faults by now he truly was blinded by love. “All amounted to the same thing though. I couldn’t give them what they wanted from me, or maybe I wouldn’t.” He shrugged. “There were parts I always kept off limits and I thought it would be enough that I wanted to make them happy, that I cared about them enough to try and make the commitment,” Jethro admitted.

“That how it is with me?” Tony winced as the words came out because deep down he already knew the answer.

“No.” Gibbs said firmly. “No. Maybe it’s her, maybe it’s you, hell, maybe it’s me, but it feels different this time. Don’t feel like I can hide those things from you. Don’t feel like I even want to anymore.” His hand wrapped around Tony’s thigh beneath the water. “Scares the fuck out of me, sometimes.”

DiNozzo mulled this over. “So if I asked you, what would you say?” he ventured.

“You asking?” Jethro craned his neck to look at him.

“No. Not really. Not unless you want me to.” His hand, which had had paused atop Gibbs’ belly, dipped beneath the water and then resumed gently washing his bump distractedly, wringing the cloth out over his navel and letting the suds drip down the curve of it. “I was just curious.”

“I’d say no.” Jethro said gently, resting his fingers on Tony’s wrist and stilling his restless circular motions. “And not because I don’t love you enough, but because I do. Because I know there isn’t a damn piece of paper in the entire world that could make that any stronger.” He squeezed gently. “What I said earlier is true. I choose you, Tony. I choose to be with you, just like you choose to be with me. Not because I’m supposed to but because it feels right and good and all those other things we don’t need words for…and because I want to.”

 Smiling into the soft curve of Jethro’s ear, Tony knew that he was right and he was content with that for the moment. “I love you,” he murmured as his mouth began to descend the column of Gibbs’ throat.

“But if you’re ever serious,”Jethro continued, “if that’s ever something you think you need from me, ask me again and my answer might change.” Gibbs pressed into the lips that moved gently against his skin and made every vow he ever needed.

“Should probably get this one out of the water, huh?” Tony said reluctantly after a few minutes, pausing in the act of tracing the patterns on the older man’s freckled shoulders with his tongue. Jethro’s skin was a little flushed and he knew it wasn’t a good idea for them to stay in too long no matter how blissfully comfortable the embracing warmth was.  

“Mmm…thanks for the bath. It was…interesting. Don’t think anyone’s ever done that for me before.” DiNozzo had insisted and seemed to take an unusual amount of delight in washing him slowly from head to toe when they’d entered the tub , an act of ineffable intimacy that passed straight through sex and came out somewhere on the other side.

“Any excuse to get my hands on your naked body,” Tony purred, nipping lightly at Jethro’s flesh.

“You’re crazy,” Gibb’s laughed, sitting up. He secretly loved that DiNozzo was fascinated with his pregnant body even if he didn’t completely understand the younger man’s apparent obsession.

“Crazy in love with you,” Tony splashed him playfully as he pushed himself up and then gave Jethro a hand, earning a strange look from Gibbs as he held onto his arm and made sure the heavily pregnant man had his footing as he stepped over the edge. Letting himself drip onto the bath mat, he took a fluffy towel and tussled Jethro’s hair into the sexy damp mess he liked so much before drying every inch of his body, gently patting the areas he knew were too sensitive for the nubby terry cloth. He felt like a besotted teenager, unable to resist the temptation to touch every single inch or to take his eyes from the beautiful cut of his lover’s jaw, his deeply muscled shoulders, or the thick tangle of silvered chest hair that made him want to get lost in its softness for a few hours.

Gibbs just watched him and forced himself to stand passively. It felt unnatural to let DiNozzo attend to him like this but the look of adoration on the younger man’s face as he did was just so utterly beguiling that Jethro found himself actually enjoying the odd act of devotion almost as much as he had Tony’s fingers lathering his hair and massaging his scalp earlier. When he trembled, it wasn’t from the moisture drying on his skin but from a deep surge of unlooked-for passion and he pulled away awkwardly when he felt heat behind his eyes with the lame excuse of taking care of the still-full tub.

“So we have the evening to ourselves unless you want to go back and visit your dad again,” Tony said as he dried his own body. He’d been a little disappointed that Jethro had stepped away, but one look at the older man’s stiff erection told him he hadn’t been wrong about Gibbs’ enjoyment of his attentions.

Jethro shook his head. “He was tired, more than he let on. My father would talk your ear off with his dying breath if you let him. We can go back in the morning.” Jackson’s tests were looking better. There didn’t appear to be any permanent heart damage and his lungs were clearer than they had been when he was brought in. Overall things were looking good but Jethro could tell his dad was weaker than he appeared on the surface, that he was putting on a brave front so as not to worry those around him, particularly in light of the present circumstances. The doctors weren’t even mentioning sending him home yet and Gibbs was partly relieved. He knew Jack on his own would push himself too hard too early so the longer they were willing to keep him under watchful eyes, the better for Jethro’s own anxiety.

“Dinner?” DiNozzo offered, trying to repress his own pulsing arousal, at least for the moment, in case Jethro had other needs.  

Gibbs regarded Tony levelly. Beautiful, blissfully naked Tony. Without conscious thought, his arm reached out, finger and thumb framing the hard line of his jaw. Dinozzo’s nostrils flared at the touch but he stood still, letting him take control now.

For just a moment Jethro was reminded of their first time together, the raw heat of it, the discovery. His fingertips trailed down Tony’s throat, settled at his pulse for the few seconds it took to feel the blood pounding quick and urgent. His hand moved lower, traced the patterns of hair that spread across the younger man’s torso, thinned at the line of his sternum. Jethro counted the rise and fall of each rib on his way down, let his fingers splay across the flat of DiNozzo’s stomach. Tony was breathing quick and shallow now, cock rising from its neatly trimmed nest to beg for attention.

Rather than give in to the temptation, Jethro pulled his eyes away, brought them back to DiNozzo’s blown pupils and the ring of ever changing iris that had thinned near to the point of disappearing.

Gibbs shook his head slowly in answer to the earlier question, retracting his arm as he turned and moved to the sink, conscious that Tony’s eyes were following him. DiNozzo loved to watch and he was in the mood to indulge his lover’s fetish tonight. Not bothering to turn back, Jethro reached into his bag and extracted the little jar of thick lotion that had been his companion in the constant fight against stretch marks and an itchy belly these last few months. Eventually he wanted his body back and that meant submitting to this one vanity to keep his skin pliant and flexible so that it could accommodate his growth. Besides, the look in Tony’s eyes whenever he caught him putting it on carried so much naked hunger Jethro swore he could feel the heat of it against his flesh even from across a room.

Tony’s fingers twitched in anticipation as he watched Gibbs’ flat palms trace slow circles over the swell of his stomach. His eyes felt glued to the sweep of the older man’s fingertips and his cock was rock hard and jerking almost uncontrollably. Jesus, there had to be something wrong with him. Surely it wasn’t normal to be this turned on my something so inane. He’d never thought of himself as a fetish kind of guy-and this didn’t seem to extend to other people who were pregnant-but where Jethro’s belly was concerned, he absolutely couldn’t get enough. Part of him felt like he should be ashamed but it was clear that Gibbs liked the attention, or at least liked taunting and teasing him to the point of vexation.

Gibbs kept rubbing, eyes drifting down to DiNozzo’s erection as he wet his lips, let himself get caught up in the delicious tension floating in the air between them. “Stroke your cock,” he growled. “Let me see how much you like to watch.”

The command felt dirty, almost kinky, but Tony liked it, liked this side of Gibbs that was both sensual and powerful. He liked it even more when Jethro’s slick fingers slipped beneath the curve of his own stomach to grasp his dick and began to work it slowly.  “You want me to come like this, Jethro? To get off just looking at you?” Tony asked breathlessly as heat coiled and pooled heavy and relentless around his hips. He could, he seriously fucking could, and it wouldn’t take much at all.

Tony's words, the tight desperation in the younger man’s voice, pulled at him, seemed to tug him from his almost trance-like state and his hands ceased their restless movements as he realized that he too was much closer to the edge than he’d intended. “Bed,” he managed, “on your back so I can watch you.”

Tony nodded, moving quickly into the other room and sitting on the edge of the bed. He knew it was easier for Gibbs if he could stand so he stayed where he was and waited.

Using a little bit more of the lotion to slick his cock thoroughly, he wasted no time moving to DiNozzo, pushing the younger man’s knees back without prelude and fitting himself to his tight hole immediately. The head of his cock slid in without difficulty and he slammed his eyes shut, fighting his body’s instinct to push in fully. Instead, he let Tony’s feet settle and catch on the edge of the mattress while he put his hands back to his belly and pulled out a fraction of an inch so that the ridge of his head popped against the ring of tight muscle. In and out, in and out, short strokes that had DiNozzo shaking with each little bump.

Panting fast and shallow, Tony tried to slow his body’s reaction, but the intense combination of visual and deep tissue stimulation had him sliding like an unstoppable avalanche toward orgasm. The heavy curve of Jethro’s belly moved soft and slick against the length of his cock, against his whole stomach and he couldn’t stop his hands from reaching out for it, palming the flattened nub of Gibbs’ belly button that raised just above flush with his skin at each thrust. The deep groan of delight from Jethro as the older man pressed into his touch sent a tremor up his spine.

Seeing the quiver and set of Tony’s jaw that told him DiNozzo was getting close, Gibbs drew on deep reserves of restraint and paused, pulling out right to the edge of Tony’s body and holding, holding, while he caught his breath, while he watched the man beneath him literally vibrate in brutal anticipation of his next stroke. Inch by inch he sank in, muscles flexing and bunching until he hilted and ground himself in slow circles, pressing DiNozzo’s knees back to give him just a few precious extra centimeters. Now he stilled again, leaned in as close to Tony’s face as his swollen stomach would allow and waited, feeling the quick pulse of their bodies try to synchronize. “Just wanna live here,” Gibbs managed thickly, thumbs stroking the backs of Tony’s knees, pressing into the dense bundles of nerves there.

Tony reached a hand up for Jethro's face, traced his full mouth with the pad of his thumb and slipped it between his parted lips, feeling the older man’s tongue swirl across the delicate bumps and ridges. A void opened in him as Gibbs began to retreat from the embrace of his body and he clenched tight, increasing the friction for both of them and then lifted his hips to meet the next assiduous invasion. The deliberateness of every stroke, the long drawn-out heat of it made him shudder. The build was slow but relentless, pulling at him steadily now like an unforgiving undertow.

“Wanna watch you while you come,” Jethro ground out as Tony’s palm slipped from his jaw, moved down to clutch fitfully at the covers.

Gibbs’ sensual demand made the pounding pressure in his groin heave and tighten. “Harder…oh God, _harder,_ Jethro…so close.“ He tossed his head on the coverlet as Jethro’s hips slammed his ass hard, moved him backwards on the bed. “So fucking close…just need…just need… _OH!”_ Gibbs hit him hard again and just right and he arched up, coming hard, fingers trembling against Jethro’s belly as the older man rubbed it purposefully back and forth over his spewing cock until he was milked dry and the pools of cum on his chest and stomach trickled down his sides.

Holding on tight, Gibbs panted through the tremors of Tony’s orgasm until they began to ebb and then he drove in with all he had, rising up on his toes as his body stiffened and released in pulsing hot waves that shook him uncontrollably. His wobbly knees were resting on something and he realized they had moved the mattress off the box spring by a good six inches in their fevered coupling.

Tony drew a few shuddering breaths and tried not to moan his disappointment as Jethro pulled out and then dropped heavily on the bed next to him with a sated sigh. “Have I told you lately what an amazing lay you are, Jethro? Because, _fuck me_ , that was incredible.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and turned his head to the side to find Gibbs smirking at him lazily, all flushed and fucked-out looking.

“Mmm…takes two, DiNozzo. But I have my moments,” Jethro admitted. “Doesn’t hurt that you’re gorgeous when you’re wet.”

“You think I’m gorgeous?” Tony grinned. Gibbs didn’t really discuss his attraction to him. It was just an unspoken thing that they both knew but he kind of liked hearing the older man say it out loud for once.

“Christ, here we go,” Jethro rolled his eyes. “And you wonder why I never say anything.”

“How ‘bout we clean up, I buy you dinner at the best restaurant in town and you can tell me all the ways in which you think I’m sexy?” Tony growled and raised an eyebrow.

“How ‘bout I leave you here covered in cum and have a nice _quiet_ dinner while I work up the motivation to make love to you again?” Gibbs pushed himself up and surveyed the damage to the bed.

“Depends, will you bring me leftovers?” Tony asked in mock hopefulness.

“Let’s start with a washcloth. You’re a damn mess.” Jethro had to admit a certain satisfaction in this.

“Whose fault is that,” DiNozzo pushed raised up on his elbows and winced as cooling liquid dripped down his chest.

Gibbs grunted and disappeared into the bathroom, emerging with a damp cloth which he tossed at Tony. “Five minutes and I leave whether you’re ready or not. Baby’s hungry and she’s getting pissed at me.” He rubbed his side.

* * *

 

In the end they decided to walk someplace for dinner. The sun was gradually sinking over distant hills and the muted light made the deep greens of early summer appear even more lush and inviting. Everything seemed to be blooming and the heavy scent of flowers and freshly mown lawns hung everywhere, almost drowning out the usual city smells. It was a clear night and warm with the sound of crickets and happily coupling frogs drifting up to them from the banks of the river. Tony heard a distant church bell chime the hour and the sound was pleasantly idyllic. “This doesn’t seem like all that bad of a place to grow up, Gibbs.”

Jethro laughed bitterly. “This place is about twenty miles and an entire world away from where I grew up, DiNozzo. To us, this was the big city. Stillwater is a small town filled with small minded people who don’t much care that the rest of the world has moved on around it.”

Tony had grown up on Long Island, a few miles from the city that never slept. Cosmopolitan was in his blood and he found small town life hard to imagine. “What was it like?”

“Everyone knows everything about everybody. If your neighbor farts too loud it makes the evening news. Guess I didn’t mind it so much when I was younger,” he admitted. “Didn’t really know anything different, but after my mom died it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t the same, I guess. I couldn’t wait to get out after that, didn’t much matter how.”

“Think you’re ready to go back? I mean, do you think people remember you?” They were crossing a bridge over a small tributary that flowed into the Susquehanna and the water tumbling over the rocks below made him speak louder.

“People don’t forget much in Stillwater. Was kinda hoping not to have to go there but I don’t know if I’ll be able to avoid it this time.” In truth he had been utterly dreading the thought for reasons he couldn’t completely put his finger on. But depending on what happened with Jackson, there were likely things he was going to have to see to.    

Tony paused at the end of the bridge and reached for Jethro’s hand, pulling him to a stop. “I’ll be with you. It’ll be different.”

Gibbs knew Tony was trying to be reassuring but as the younger man’s fingers squeezed gently, he realized this was a large part of what had him nervous. “You and me…this…” he put a hand on his stomach. “ It’s not too popular in the small towns around here,” he explained. “Don’t expect a warm reception.”

“Relax, Gibbs. No one is going to give us a hard time,” he said soothingly. “Besides, if they do, we’ve got guns.” He grinned wickedly.

“That’s exactly the part I’m afraid of, DiNozzo,” Jethro muttered as resumed the short walk into town.

 


	23. Homecoming

****

Jethro heard the sound of raised voices echoing in the hall from the general direction of Jackson’s room. With a look at Tony that said ‘prepare for battle’, the two picked up the pace and arrived in time to find a half-dressed Jackson attempting to snatch his pants from the hands of a very patient looking Patricia. They paused in the doorway and took in the scene.

“Mr. Gibbs, you’re nowhere near ready to go home yet, you aren’t even off your oxygen. Why don’t you just relax and I’ll have the doctor come in and speak with you as soon as he gets done with his rounds.” Her voice had the placating tone of someone who has had the same argument many times over.

“Hospital’s no place for sick people. Not when they can walk and talk. Got things to do, to take care of. Not gonna waste away in this bed for another day,” Jackson argued stubbornly even though he was clearly out of breath even from the little effort he had expended thus far.

“Dad,” Jethro said as he entered the fray, putting up an arm for Tony to let him know to hold for a minute. “You’re can’t go home yet,” he said as gently as he could, meeting Patricia’s eyes and seeing the deep sympathy there.

“You suddenly become a doctor, Leroy?” Jackson turned to his son, panting and using the rail of the bed to hold himself up.

“No, sir. But I seem to have more common sense than you do at the moment. You go home now you’ll end up right back here in a day, maybe less. Or worse than that, in a body bag next time. You want to meet your granddaughter someday or do you want me to show her pictures of you and tell her she _COULD_ have gone fishing with her granddad if he wasn’t such a stubborn old bastard?” Jethro could see that the words stung but Jackson’s mouth only hardened in response.

“Got a business to run, Leroy, you know that. Got inventory to do, orders on the way. Bob Jamison’s kid Billy helps me out and he’s seeing to some things, but he can’t do it all on his own. Someone’s got to mind things and it’s not doin’ a damn lick of good to keep me in this bed worrying about it when I’m the only one who can fix it.” Jackson was clearly frustrated and more than that, he was obviously truly worried.

Jethro had known this was coming. Certainly his initial fear was for his father’s health, but now that Jackson seemed to be past the critical stage of illness and on the slow path to recovery, the part that really had him anxious was what happened next. “I’ll take care of the store, Jack. If you agree to stay here until the doctors say you can leave _and_ if you agree to follow whatever orders they give you when you do, I’ll make sure things are taken care of there, at least for the next few days. After that I’ll see what we can do to get you more help until you’re completely back on your feet.” Jethro had actually been practicing this particular speech in his head for the last 24 hours but he’d hoped it would be able to wait just a bit longer.

“You?” Jackson scoffed. “You’re not lugging boxes and staying on your feet all day in your condition. Besides, you wouldn’t know where to start. Got everything on computers now.”

“I’m pregnant, Dad, not an invalid. Besides, I’ve got Tony to do the heavy lifting. And he’s pretty good with a keyboard.” Gibbs was prepared for this argument too. “Hell, I worked in that store almost every single day from the time I was 12 years old. You don’t think I remember how to do inventory and push a broom?”

The elder Gibbs seemed to be running out of steam a little bit and was certainly leaning more heavily on the rail which supported him. “You’d do that for me, son?” he wheezed.

“Of course I would.” In truth it had taken him hitting a dead end with every other solution to the problem before he admitted to himself that this was the most likely successful scenario and accepted it in his own mind, but Jackson didn’t need to know that.

“And how do you feel about that? You seem like a bit of a city boy,” he addressed Tony who had come up behind Jethro and placed a supportive hand in the small of his back at the mention of his name. “Not scared of a little hard work are you? A little dirt under your fingernails?”

“I go where he goes,” Tony said firmly. “And I try not to ask too many questions. Besides, I’d kind of like to see where J-…uh, Leroy grew up.” His grin took in both Jackson and Patricia.

“See why you keep him around, Leroy.” Jackson began to laugh which turned into a deep cough and sent Tony moving to his side to offer support with only a quick glance back at Jethro. It took the older man a few minutes to get his wind back though he immediately picked up where he had left off. “But I hope you don’t let him order you around too much. Healthy relationship takes balance, young man, and Leroy would never respect a partner that didn’t stand up to him from time to time,” Jackson advised in a slightly rasping  aside to DiNozzo as Tony helped him back to the head of the bed.

“Don’t worry, Jack.  He’s not the boss all the time.” Tony winked conspiratorially at him and then glanced at Gibbs who was coloring just slightly. 

“You two done?” Jethro said through clenched teeth, aware that Patricia was also witnessing this little family exchange at his expense. “Think you can stay in bed and let this nice lady help you this time?”

“I believe I do remember her saying something about a sponge bath yesterday. Suppose that might be worth hanging around for.” Jackson mused, grinning at Patricia whose eyes were dancing with amusement. A moment later the elder Gibbs’ face turned serious again. “But what about your job? That NCIS of yours gonna be able to live without you for a few days? I don’t even really know what it is you do there but you must have a boss who’ll miss you if you don’t show.”

“I’ve got some time if I need it and Tony’s got a few days. Don’t think he’d go back even if I told him to at this point.” He caught DiNozzo’s gentle smile as the younger man finally got his father propped back up in bed.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Jackson glanced from one man to the other. “After all these years, Leroy, I don’t want to be a burden to you, especially right now.”

“I’m fine, Jack. We’re fine.” He rested a hand on his stomach. “Just take care of yourself for once and let us worry about the rest.”

Jackson regarded him silently for a moment, obviously struggling to relinquish control but ultimately sensing that Jethro was right. Finally, he nodded slowly, accepting the offer of help. “Apartment behind the store’s not rented right now. It’s nothing fancy but it’s clean and it has a kitchen and a bath. And a comfortable bed as I’m sure you recall, Leroy.“

Tony watched as the color rose in Jethro’s cheeks yet again and something unspoken seemed to pass between father and son, something that made him immensely curious. Watching Gibbs with his father had certainly shown him a completely different side of his chosen partner and it made him think about all the things he had yet to discover about him.

“Think you can do one thing for me before you go?” Jackson motioned Jethro to his bedside.

“What do you need, dad?” Gibbs was prepared for the worst at this point.

“Think you can find me a decent cup of coffee somewhere in this town? The stuff they serve here is terrible.”

* * *

 

Tony had to work very hard not to press his nose to the glass as they came on the beginnings of what Jethro assured him was Stillwater, PA. Initially it looked very much the same as the hoveled outskirts they had passed on their way to Bloomsburg but this place had a much smaller and somewhat more economically depressed feel to it right away. The homes lining the road on the edge of town were small, slabbed dwellings with little character and less space, though most were well maintained with their small green yards neatly trimmed and white fences freshly painted. Stillwater had the feel of a place where the people worked hard for what they had and took pride in what they owned, even if it wasn’t much.  

Eventually they passed a humble sign marking the border of the town and DiNozzo craned his neck, trying to take in every single detail of it at once. The homes along the main street were larger, often with inviting looking front porches but were still generally extremely modest in size compared to the affluent neighborhoods in DC and Baltimore. He was so caught up that he almost didn’t notice Gibbs pulling up in front of a single story building in what appeared to be the block-long business district of downtown.

“This is it.” In contrast to Tony’s enthusiasm, Jethro had been trying to fight the gnawing edge of slowly advancing dread as they approached his home town. Now that they were here, he pulled the keys from the ignition but made no move to exit. Jaw tightening involuntarily, his eyes traced the familiar lines of the buildings, kicking up dust amongst the motes of memories that had sat undisturbed in the back of his brain for over 25 years. There were so many layers of emotion beneath the rubble of his younger life, anger, frustration, resentment, and below them all, a deep and abiding sadness he hadn’t even realized was there until this moment. The feeling of Tony’s fingers sliding across the back of his hand brought him back to the surface.

“You ready?” Tony understood where Jethro’s head was at. In the days between meeting Gibbs and deciding to follow him to NCIS he’d done a lot of soul searching, and one day his car had driven itself all the way up to Long Island, all the way to the quiet, tree-lined streets of his youth. All that afternoon he’d sat and stared at the home he grew up in, wondering just how his life could have come so far, taken so many twists and turns away from that doorstep. Now he saw the grief in Jethro’s eyes that he had felt in that moment, knew that the older man was walking through a world that was half-present half-past.

“Not even a little bit ready,” Gibbs confessed, letting Tony’s fingers twine with his momentarily before he gave a sigh and opened the door, setting his feet on pavement that felt like it could give way beneath him at any moment. The late morning sun was warm and Jethro felt a tiny rivulet of sweat trickle down his back, unsure if it was the heat or nerves. Even though there didn’t appear to be a lot of people on the streets right now, he felt like there were suddenly one thousand pairs of eyes trained directly on him.

“Thought maybe they’d have a parade to welcome you home or something,” DiNozzo came around the car with their bags. They’d stopped at the inn to retrieve their things and check out before taking the half hour trip. Grace had let them go regretfully with an unexpected embrace and a timid and gentle sweep of her hand across Jethro’s belly. Tony had been surprised when Gibbs seemed to accept her touch with more good humor than he usually did, grasping the hand that had shown them such unexpected kindness and pressing it just above his navel where gentle kicks from inside had made her eyes soften and sparkle. He’d turned away from the scene with a lump in his throat.

“Trust me, Stillwater has its own unique way of throwing a parade,” Gibbs grunted as he reached for the door handle or the store, resting his hand on the smooth metal for a minute before pushing it open. The tinkling trill of the bell above his head sent a chill up his spine as the familiar smell of the store assaulted his senses. The scent was part cardboard, part coffee, part Jackson, with undercurrents of dry goods, floor cleaner, and even a distant note of gun oil. The store had changed from what he remembered. Pictures had been added to the walls, new racks for videos and DVD’s installed, and inventory relocated, but the smell remained the same, and it had his head reeling a little.

Tony’s eyes were everywhere the moment they entered the well-stocked and tidy general store. He’d never seen such a variety of items all in one place. Just at first glance the inventory ranged from motor oil to peanut butter and camping equipment to hairspray. General was certainly the best word to describe the place.

“You Jamison?” Jethro addressed the rather awkward looking young man who was gaping openly at them from behind the counter where he had looked about to doze off until a moment ago.

“Y-yes sir. You Mr. Gibbs?” His eyes were glued to Jethro’s belly.

“I’m Jethro. Think we can get by with that for now. So you’re Bob Jamison’s kid?” Gibbs pretended not to notice his blatant stare.

“Yes, sir.” Billy nodded, seemingly unable to find the rest of his words at present.

“Thought so. Not too many with that hair and coloring around here.” He referred to Billy’s flaming red hair and freckles. He didn’t mention the fact that the kid also had his father’s shockingly enormous ears. “Went to school with your dad. He was a good man. He still around?”

Billy shook his head. “Passed on a couple of years ago from the cancer. Your dad was nice enough to give me a job here so I could help ma with the bills some.” He finally met Gibbs’ eyes.

“Jackson call and tell you I was coming?” He assumed by the way Billy had known who he was that this was the case.

Again the kid nodded. He seemed almost as wordy as Jethro himself. “Said you were gonna run things for a few days. Said I was to help you as much as I could and not to let you work too hard no matter how much you argued about it. S’pose I can see why, though he didn’t say anything directly about you bein’…” Billy looked at Jethro with wide eyes, afraid he had said too much.

“It’s okay. Didn’t expect he would,” Gibbs reassured him. “Looks like you’ve got things pretty much under control for the moment. Got time for us to get settled in in back and then catch us up on everything?”

“Yes, sir,” Billy confirmed. “Mr. Gibbs makes sure there’s always fresh sheets on the bed just in case someone wants to look at the place. I was planning to stay until six today if that’s okay with you?“ Clearly he identified Jethro as an authority figure already.

“Fine. I expect things will pick up pretty quick once word spreads around town and the vultures have time to circle.” Jethro addressed both Tony and Billy with this. “You tell anyone else I was coming after you spoke with my dad?”

“Just Mrs. Lardy over at the bakery. She’s been seeing to your dad while he’s been feeling poorly. He asked me to tell her he’d be back on his feet and ready to take her dancing over at the Rotary next weekend.” The young man grinned from ear to gigantic ear.

“Well, that should take care of it then. If I remember Alice Lardy, the whole town will get the news before noon,” he said, feeling grim resolve settle over him. He would have to face what he would have to face and more likely sooner than later. Reaching behind the counter, he found the keys to the small rental unit out back right where they’d always been. “Apartment’s through here.” Jethro led the way for Tony, opening a door at the back of the store which took them outside again. There was another door and a curtained picture window next to where they emerged.

“Not quite the Pheasant Hill Inn, but it should do for a couple of nights,” Gibbs said as he unlocked the door.

It didn’t take long to get a tour of the small, one bedroom dwelling. The bedroom had its own window and along with the living room was surprisingly bright and cheery, if small. The bathroom had the essentials but only a small stall shower which was a little disappointing after the luxurious bathing appointments at their last temporary domicile. The small kitchen looked functional enough and was furnished with newer looking dishes and pots and pans as well as a few cooking basics. They would have to shop if they wanted to eat in, but they did have an entire general store at their immediate disposal.

Tony tested out the bed for comfort while Jethro put away a few things in the bathroom. “At least the bed’s comfortable,” he called out to Gibbs, kicking his feet up on the quilt and relaxing back against the pillows.

“Lost my virginity in that bed,” Gibbs said nonchalantly, coming around the corner and leaning against the wall, watching Tony with quietly smoldering hunger that he didn’t even attempt to conceal. Even under the circumstances, his libido seemed to be maintaining its usual slow burn and Tony plus bed equaled an immediate half-erection.

“Oh yeah?” Tony picked up on Jethro’s mood immediately and even though he was pretty sure it wasn’t going anywhere at this moment, it never really hurt to try. “Wanna relive a fond memory?” His hand drifted down and grazed his semi-erect cock through his jeans.

“Unless you shave, grow tits, and change your name to Julia, I think the memory will be somewhat different this time, Tony.” Jethro moved to sit beside him on the bed and let the younger man pull him carefully down into his arms for just a minute. “And from what I remember, it was embarrassingly short,” he laughed. “Besides, my dad walked in just after and she was never allowed to see me again.”

This certainly explained the exchange about the bed earlier. “How old were you?”

“Sixteen. She was seventeen. I remember she always wore this perfume…smelled just like lilacs in spring. And she had this blue sweater with white lace on the collar.” His voice grew distant as the memory closed in around him. ”We’d dated for a few months before that and she went off to college the next year. Haven’t even thought about her for years. Never knew what happened to her.”

While learning these little details about Jethro’s past was nothing less than titillating to Tony, it was clear Gibbs was struggling to reconcile the man he was now with the boy he had been then, to somehow paste the two halves of himself together across the intervening years. “We don’t have to stay here, you know. I don’t mind driving back and forth if it gets too hard.” Tony had become an expert at knowing when Gibbs was trying to distract him and the little flirtation of a moment ago was nothing more than a ploy to pull him away from the more uncomfortable topic of their visit. “Twenty five years is a long time to stay away, and a long time to change. You’re the strongest man I know, Jethro. Don’t know what this town did to you to make you need to run but it can’t hurt you any more, not now.”

Tony had gotten right to the heart of what he was feeling once again. “No they can’t. But I suspect some of them are sure as hell gonna try unless things around here have changed more than I have,” he sighed. “But I suppose it’s time to face the music before the rumor mill gets completely out of hand.” He pushed himself back up reluctantly.

“You really think it’s going to be that bad? I was only joking about the guns.” He’d tucked his sidearm away for the moment but his hip was feeling suddenly naked in the face of Jethro’s clear concern.

“Might be,” Gibbs shrugged. “Might not. Towns like this tend to play by their own rules sometimes and even though I grew up here, I’m an outsider now. An outsider who broke the rules.” He rubbed his belly gently and earned a healthy kick in return. “I’d expect a few surprises.”

Tony nodded. “Just one question before we go back in there,” DiNozzo said as he reloaded his weapon and secured it, making sure he had his creds on him as well. He’d found that a federal badge tended to give more weight to his side of an argument from time to time in the last few months. “You think that kid gets satellite reception with those ears?” He grinned.


	24. Surrendering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Insanely long chapter ahoy! Thank you to all who are still reading and following this story as it comes over.

****

 When Tony reentered the store with Jethro he found it much as Gibbs predicted it would be. Several customers had wandered in in their absence and appeared to be perusing the shelves of goods with near rabid concentration, but as soon as their presence was noticed, all pretense was dropped and most looked with genuine curiosity at the return of the fabled Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Billy stood behind the counter and looked slightly nervous at the sight of Jethro but surprisingly competent as he rang up an order for a young woman with a small child in tow.

A bespectacled woman who appeared to be somewhere in her early sixties was the first to approach before they could even make their way over to the counter. Despite the lines on her face and heavily grey-streaked hair she was still quite lovely.

“Why, Leroy Gibbs. I never thought I’d see the…” Tony watched as her words dropped away and she paused when Jethro’s clearly gravid stomach came into focus. “Oh my. I guess you have changed a bit, Leroy,” she said politely, smiling as she resumed her advance. She seemed surprised by this unlooked for development but more amused by the revelation than anything else. More than that, her tone spoke of familiarity and genuine fondness.  

“But you haven’t, Mrs. Marshall. Still as pretty as I remember. Never could concentrate in English class when you wore those mini-skirts of yours.” Gibbs kissed her gently on the cheek and gave her what could almost be described as a shyly flirtatious grin.

“You Gibbs men are quite the charmers, aren’t you? That was certainly a long time ago, Leroy. Long enough that I think you can call me Miranda now without getting called to the principal’s office.” She smiled and then lowered her voice. “It really is good to see you back here. Your father kept us up on all of your adventures for a while after you left. He was so proud.” She smiled gently. “And I was so sorry to hear about your wife and daughter all those years ago. I know Jackson was devastated, he loved those girls so much. I think he hoped you’d come around more after that…but you never did.” She shook her head sadly. “But I guess there’s a time for everything to come around again, isn’t there.” Miranda said contemplatively as she pressed a hand to the side of his belly for just a moment.

“Guess there is,” Jethro agreed, flinching only slightly at her touch. He suspected there was going to be a lot of that in the next few days.

“Suppose I should let you two settle in and get to work. I was glad to hear Jackson is doing better. Whole town was worried sick about him.” Miranda’s eyes flashed over to Tony for a brief instant and there was a little twitch of amusement at the corner of her mouth. “I’d guess business will be booming while you’re here. Hope you’ll forgive people their curiosity. Some just can’t help themselves.” She raised her voice again as she said this and cast a condemnatory eye at those who had clearly only come to lay first-hand claim on Stillwater’s hottest gossip.  “Guess they’ll be even more so when they find out you’ve not only come home but brought a little extra package with you. If you have the time, I’d love to invite you and your gentleman friend over for supper while you’re here. I’m interested to hear what became of my favorite student. Still struggling with semi-colons, Leroy?”

“Can’t say as I’ve found too much call for semi-colons over the years, Miranda.” Jethro smiled wide, hoping that this first surprisingly pleasant greeting meant his fears were unfounded, but unable to shake the nagging shreds of doubt. “But if we have time, Tony and I will take you up on that dinner. Not quite sure what we’re walking into here yet or how long I’ll be in town.”

“Of course.” She nodded in understanding. “Think you’ll find a few things have changed since you’ve been gone, Leroy. Mostly for the better. Though Stillwater does still have its moments.”

Tony thought he detected just the slightest hint of a warning there.

“I do hope you’ll come around though,” Miranda continued. “Any night will be fine. And let me know if there’s anything we can do for Jackson. Folks around here have an awful lot of respect for your dad. Might not always see eye to eye with him, but they respect him.” Miranda took her leave with a gentle squeeze of his arm and a last amused glance at the swell of his pregnancy before making her exit.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Tony shrugged, noticing that Jethro was clearly trying to digest the encroachment of past on present and a relatively friendly greeting where he had expected scorn, derision, or perhaps worse.

“No.” Gibbs said thoughtfully, “it wasn’t.”

“So…uh, about those miniskirts,” Tony grinned. “Should I be worried?”

XXX

They spent the next few hours getting a run-down of the store from Billy who was actually far more proficient in its operations than Tony would have suspected given his jumpiness and propensity to trip over his words when asked any kind of a direct question. Gibbs did an inventory of stock in the back and Tony got an efficient tutorial on the store’s spreadsheet ordering form. All in all it was surprisingly simple and as customers drifted in and out-most undisguisedly disappointed not to catch a glimpse of Jethro-Tony found himself more charmed than anything by the local patrons and their unabashed nosiness.

As the afternoon dragged on into early evening and traffic seemed to slow a bit, Billy left for the day with assurances that he would return first thing in the morning to help with arriving deliveries.

With no current customers to serve and Gibbs still busily reshelving a few items from in back like the simple task was something he had been doing all of his life, Tony finally had time to make an in-depth study of the various photographs and clippings that covered the area behind the register, filling every gap between pots and pans and fishing tackle and stretching from wall to wall. He’d just found a picture of, what had to be, a young Jethro, fresh from the football field in a jersey and pads and clutching tightly to a shiny silver helmet. Tony didn’t imagine he could be more than ten years old in the photo, and there was something about his smile, something about the light in his eyes that spoke of innocence and an unburdened soul which was so at odds with the man he knew now.

But it wasn’t Jethro that had drawn his eyes to this particular photo. It was the strikingly beautiful woman at his side whose finely sculpted features and delicate bone structure had been passed on to the boy who could only be her son. Tony knew he had to be looking at Gibbs’ mother.

“Always thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”

Jethro’s voice came hushed and reflective from behind Tony’s shoulder just as strong arms wrapped around his waist and the curve of Gibbs’ firm bump pressed into the small of his back. “You look like her.” The older man’s chin found the hollow of his shoulder and Tony relaxed into the familiar embrace.

“Yeah.” There was no concealing the grief that rose from the freshly disturbed ground of Jethro’s memory.

“Looks like Jackson had quite a life.” Tony observed.

Gibbs was quiet, still contemplating the photo of him and his mother. He hadn’t looked at pictures of her in years but he still found her breathtaking even after all that time, and the line of her face set up a deep ache in his chest.

When Jethro didn’t respond, Tony’s eyes moved to another photo that was no less prominently displayed. This was one of a slightly younger looking Jack standing next to a pretty little girl of about five years old who was proudly holding up one of the smallest fish he had ever seen. “That’s Kelly isn’t it?” Tony pointed at the picture and felt Gibbs stiffen slightly.

“Almost forgot about that day,” Jethro said softly, memories assaulting him full force. “Jackson had this cabin. Way up in the foothills on a lake. Kept trying again and again to get me to come out there when I was home on leave but I kept coming up with one reason after another not to. One day Shannon convinced me that I should, for Kelly.” He shook his head. “Got in a fight with him after only a few hours-don’t even remember what it was about now-and we packed up and left right then. She must have had time to take this.” The recollection of it stung as did the bitter taste of adrenaline on his tongue as the memory of the bristling anger he had felt that day rose to the surface. Whatever they had fought about, obviously it was real enough to stay with him, buried just out of reach. Now it pooled and colored with the sadness and regret he felt as he took in the glow of Kelly’s smile and the loving pride in a grandfather’s eyes.

Tony could almost hear the wheels in Jethro’s head turning. He could certainly feel Gibbs’ body sag against his as the anger and resentment that had been the foundation of his relationship with his father for so long suddenly shifted. “Maybe our little girl came around for more than one reason, Jethro,” he said gently, gripping the hand that rested against his flat stomach.

Gibbs pressed his lips to the soft space behind Tony’s ear and just breathed in the reassuring scent of him for the length of a few heartbeats. “Maybe,” he whispered.

The moment was interrupted by the tinkling bell of the door and they moved away from each other quickly. Tony immediately sensed Jethro’s wariness when a tall and balding man in his early 40’s stopped in the doorway to remove his hat and narrowed his eyes as Gibbs came around the counter. It might have been his imagination but even though the man with the shiny brass sheriff’s badge on his khaki uniform stood a few inches taller that Jethro, Gibbs seemed to grow in height as he approached.  

“Expected you earlier, Ed.” Jethro took the initiative. He didn’t bother reaching for the other man’s hand. He was pretty certain this visit had nothing to do with welcoming him back to town and everything to do with sizing up the man who had sprung from the boy this local thug used to try his hardest to push around and beat into submission. Now Ed had gone and put a badge behind his intimidation and Jethro wasn’t sure if that made him a more or less dangerous enemy.

“You know how it is, Leroy. Out catching the bad guys.” Ed’s tone was brimming with barely concealed contempt wrapped up in veiled pleasantries. “’Course I had to come and see for myself. Always thought I’d find you back in my town one day. I’d hoped you weren’t planning on starting up trouble while you were here but I see I’m a little late for that.” His eyes lit on Jethro’s belly meaningfully.

Gibbs ignored the jab, refusing even to dignify it with acknowledgement. “Starting?” He smiled. “No…not planning to start anything. Unless you had something in particular in mind. Just here to help out my dad and then we’re back to DC.”

Ed’s eyes drifted over to Tony who had held his ground in front of the counter at Jethro’s signal. “Trust you got a license for that weapon, boy. “ He took in the barely noticeable bulge beneath DiNozzo’s shirt with a trained eye.

Tony went slowly for his creds and flashed them and a dazzling fake smile without a word.

“ _Special Agent_ DiNozzo is with me, Ed. And whatever you think is going on here, whatever your problem is with me? You leave him the hell out of it,” Jethro growled. “The past is in the past. Fine by me if it stays there, but if you’ve got other ideas I’m sure we can discuss them,” he said pointedly, leaving no doubt that there would be little actual discussion involved.

“That simple, eh Leroy?”

“That simple, Ed.” Gibbs said steadily.

The two older men locked eyes for a moment but Tony knew that even a strong man couldn’t stand up against that fabled glare and the man opposite Jethro now was nothing but a weak bully. Indeed, it only took a few moments for Ed to turn for the door.

“Just be sure not to overstay your welcome, Leroy. Left a bad taste in a few people’s mouths the way you lit out of here all those years ago.” He took a parting jab. “And seein’ how you’ve come back? Might have been better for everyone if you’d just stayed gone.” The door closed slowly on its hydraulics behind him.

“That more what you were expecting?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter, watching as Ed stopped before getting into his cruiser to take note of the license plate on Jethro’s truck.

“Welcome to Stillwater,” Gibbs grunted, rubbing a hand across his belly absently as he locked the front door and flipped the closed sign. “Think we’ve had enough for today, don’t you?”

XXX

“What?” Jethro took in Tony’s pleased little smile and twinkling eyes with wariness.

“It popped out,” Tony couldn’t hide the amusement in his voice as his fingers slipped between their bodies to probe Jethro’s now protruding belly button.

“Leave it alone,” Gibbs said irritably. Whether it was because the baby had shifted position or he had just grown that much more in the last few days, his navel appeared to have given up its fight against the growing pressure beneath it and there was no denying today that his former innie was officially an outie for the next few months. But for some reason, DiNozzo’s continued attention to it was getting under his skin and his thoughts were elsewhere causing him to snap a bit at the younger man.

“Wanna tell me where you’re at tonight?” Tony asked gently as his hands moved up and skimmed Jethro’s tense shoulders. They were facing each other on the relatively small double bed and the firm curve of Gibbs’ swollen belly was pressed tight to the flat of his own abdomen so that he felt the restless movements of his daughter against his skin. The baby always seemed to be really active in the evenings when they laid down and right now her little kicks and rolls were shaking the whole of Jethro’s belly. It wasn’t the same as having her inside him but it was as close as he could get and most times, Gibbs seemed to enjoy the connection as much as he did. Tonight the lips moving gently against his throat were distracted, the hands wandering his back preoccupied, and given the events of the day and the rollercoaster of emotion for Gibbs, the offense was certainly forgivable.

Jethro pulled back, somewhat relieved that Tony seemed aware of his troubled mind and also that the younger man’s voice and tender caresses were nothing but understanding. He wasn’t certain how to put voice to things he was still grappling with himself. He had come to accept a few hard truths in the last few days and had yet to decide exactly what to do about them. The familiar line of Tony’s face was a comforting point of focus in the dim light and Gibbs decided to make a passing attempt at explanation.

“My dad,” he began thoughtfully, voice still distant and reflective. “Think I hurt him a lot over the years, and I’m starting to think he didn’t really deserve that from me,” Gibbs confessed repentantly. “Think this …this thing between us…all these years…think maybe it was all my fault.”

“I’m sure you thought you had your reasons for doing what you did.” Tony swept his fingers up and down Jethro’s spine soothingly.

Gibbs laughed ruefully. “Suppose I did. Don’t really think they were the right ones anymore.” He was quiet for a few minutes. “Jesus, I was just so… _pissed_ when she died.”

“Shannon?”

“My mom,” Jethro clarified. “Shannon later.”  But his mother had come first and maybe that was the heart of it. The core of the anger that he had never even tried to revisit, only tucked away like an old photograph that was too painful to leave out on the mantle of his life any longer.

“I don’t remember feeling anything when my mom died. There was just this…empty place where she had been before and I knew nothing would ever fill it again,” Tony sympathized.

Jethro nodded. With their similar history, he’d known Tony would understand perhaps better than anyone else. “I wanted the world to stop. And when it didn’t, I just got angrier and angrier no matter what anyone did or said. Jackson…I didn’t know how to let him be there for me. Maybe he didn’t know either.” He’d shut himself off from it, from everyone. His head went to the half-built boat in his basement and the ten others that had come before it. Even back here in Stillwater there had been one project after another, something to keep his head and his hands busy so he didn’t go around punching walls or worse twenty times a day. “Think I wanted the fight and maybe the pain too. Guys like Ed…they were just another means to an end.”

Tony waited for Gibbs to go on. He sensed that the dialogue he was having right now was more Jethro talking himself through his own thoughts than anything else.

“When I was 14 there was a woman…someone that Jackson brought home. He’d told me about it but I don’t think I understood until she showed up at the door for dinner one night. I think I thought his life was supposed to stop after my mom.” He hadn’t made the connection back then. Maybe he should have. He knew now that he sure as hell should have made it after Shannon died. Jethro took a deep breath, because this was the heart of it. This was the eye opener. The fact that he should have understood his father’s loss in that moment of deepest agony, should have run _to_ him instead of further away. If only he’d been able to see past his own blinding rage, that all-consuming need for vengeance. “I should have understood how… _lonely_ he was without her.” His voice grew thick and choked off the end of the last word.

DiNozzo traced circles against Gibbs’ back, wishing there was something more he could do for him. “Did your dad ever remarry? I didn’t see pictures of any other women.”

Jethro shook his head. “Don’t know why, actually. Certainly had his share of women in his life. He even…” Hi breath caught as a memory of the day of Shannon and Kelly’s funeral flashed white hot in his head. A memory that still threatened to tear at the fabric of his sanity if he stayed there too long even after all these years.

 Gibbs’ body stiffened against him, his muscles going rigid, but Tony held him fast, soothed him until he came out of it after a few seconds and started to breathe regularly again. “What were you thinking about?” Tony rubbed the side of Jethro’s belly. ”Something freaked you out just then, what was it?” The baby didn’t seem to like her dad’s agitation very much and was kicking up a storm against his hand and stomach.

“The funeral. Shannon and Kelly’s,” Gibbs said quietly. “It was the last time I saw Jackson. Last time I wanted to. He…he brought someone with him and we had a fight. Both said some things…probably me more than him.” He honestly couldn’t remember what was said at the time. He’d been drowning in grief and half a step away from madness. All he remembered was the blinding rage he had felt in that moment.

“I’m sure he understood Jethro. Or if he didn’t, I’m sure he forgave you. It’s been a long time.” Tony hated the self-loathing he was hearing in Gibbs’ voice.

“Too long,” Jethro agreed. “I don’t think I was ever ready for him to move on.”

“But you moved on after Shannon. Seems like if that was all of it you would have buried the hatchet before now.” This was something Tony genuinely didn’t understand though he knew Jethro could be stubborn as hell when he wanted to be,

“I don’t know if I ever did move on,” Jethro confessed. “With Diane and the others I think maybe I was just moving sideways, trying to go around the memory and the pain instead of past it.” He put his hand on top of Tony’s, accepting that the younger man was on this journey with him now no matter what. “Even now I wouldn’t say I feel like I’m moving on. There’s just this part of me that will always be with them. But with you I think I feel like I’m moving forward again. Moving through it. Don’t feel like I have a choice this time.” The baby kicked him soundly as if for emphasis, though she seemed to be quieting down a little now.

“Maybe you should be talking to him about all this, Gibbs,” Tony suggested. His heart swelled at the sincerity in Jethro’s voice when he discussed moving forward together but he knew what the larger concern was.

“Could you? With your father?” Jethro asked.

Tony thought about this, turned the idea over in his head. Unfortunately the circumstances were different for him. He hadn’t pushed his father away, he was the one who had been pushed. But perhaps there was more similarity than he wanted to admit. “If he came to me? Maybe. I kind of feel like we’d just fall back into old habits.” Jackson Gibbs was an entirely different animal than Anthony DiNozzo Sr. “I guess you’re the only one who knows if it’s time for that. God knows I’m not the one to offer advice on parental reconciliations.”

“Think I’m afraid it’s too late to fix it, even if I wanted to try,” Jethro confessed.

“Maybe. Maybe it’s not too late to start over though. Think only you can make that decision.” Gibbs relaxed a little against him but still seemed lost in his own head. Tony sensed from experience that discussion time was over and he didn’t press any further. He worried about the guilt and pain Jethro seemed to insist on carrying around with him perpetually. The burdens which were clearly weighing more heavily on him these last few days as he was forced to confront old hurts rather than burying them deep where they never got to see the light of day.  “You gonna be able to sleep? Still seem pretty wound up.”

Jethro didn’t miss the suggestive note in Tony’s voice. He didn’t doubt the younger man’s genuine concern but he also knew DiNozzo wouldn’t pass up an opportunity for sex. Of course, neither would he lately so it worked out in the end. “Kid’s asleep. What did you have in mind?” The baby had indeed ceased her fidgety movements for the moment but he would no doubt be awakened a few times during the night by an errant kick or jab.

“Mmm…a few things,” Tony growled low, moving his lips to the hollow of Jethro’s throat. “Depends on how adventurous you’re feeling after today.”

“Don’t think I’m up for hanging from the ceiling fan or anything, but I feel pretty good. Nice to be up and moving around instead of scanning intelligence briefs and hand-holding bureaucrats.” With as much time as he was spending at his desk these days the chance to be active had surprisingly given him more energy than normal. Besides, he generally liked Tony’s ideas and the younger man had been surprisingly creative as his belly grew and forced them from more traditional positions. Tonight he would welcome the distraction.

“Can you turn on your back?” Gibbs’ comfort level in any position was declining rapidly and some days were better than others.

With a little tug at the hair on Tony’s nape, Gibbs did as he asked, propping himself up on the pillows a little until he found a tolerable position. Tony’s eyes were heavy and thoughtful tonight beneath their lustful glaze, but as the younger man leaned down to kiss him deep and hot, he immediately understood that this was Tony’s way of comforting him, of giving him something else to think of rather than driving himself crazy regretting a past he couldn’t change. It was definitely working, at least for the moment, and he felt his cock swell and thicken against his thigh as the younger man’s tongue quickly worked its magic like nothing else ever had.

“How much do you trust me, Jethro?” Tony whispered against the Jethro’s hungry lips when they were both warmed up a little. He was pretty sure he knew the answer but for what he had in mind right now, he needed to hear Gibbs say it.

Tony sat back on his heels and Jethro watched him, curious, but unusually willing to follow wherever he was leading. “I trust you,” he said levelly,

Tony nodded. “Close your eyes,” he instructed.

Jethro couldn’t help it, he hesitated.  Not at the specific demand but at the tone of the younger man’s voice which clearly said that this was only the beginning. This was a thing that had not been requested of him before. Tony wasn’t asking him to give up a little control tonight, he was asking him to give up all of it, to surrender it to him.

“Close them, Jethro. It’s okay.” There was no less demand this time, but a little more reassurance. He didn’t back down in the face of the older man’s tentativeness but if Gibbs said no, he would not continue to press. At least not this time.

Whatever it was Jethro needed, he found in Tony’s steady gaze and he finally let his eyelids drop shut as he exhaled a long breath, trying to calm his racing pulse and his misgivings.

“Thank you.” It was genuine. Tony knew what it was taking for Jethro to give him even this little bit and he was grateful for the larger faith it symbolized.

Tony’s weight shifted on the bed beside him and he heard the younger man pad over to his duffel and retrieve something or things almost silently. Jethro’s senses were already sharpened by the darkness and he felt every crease of the sheets beneath his naked body now. When the mattress sagged next to him again, he resisted the strong temptation to open his eyes, waiting for Tony to make the next move.  He was expecting DiNozzo to say something or to touch him but instead, he felt smooth, cold steel graze the curve of his belly and make him shudder.

“You can say no, and you can tell me to stop, but I really hope you don’t because I’m pretty sure you’ll like this more than you think you will.”

DiNozzo’s voice came from above him and Jethro opened his eyes. The younger man held his NCIS issued cuffs in one hand and a necktie in the other. He had no doubts about what Tony intended to do with both of them and the thought made him both wary and unexpectedly giddy. “You want this from me?” Somehow Jethro managed to keep his voice from betraying his uneasiness.

“Tonight I do.” Tony nodded. “I want you to have a very different memory of this bed when we’re done with it. I want you to let go, Jethro, just for a little while.”

The ‘no’ formed on his tongue out of instinct but Gibbs forced it down, forced his muscles into a different response. “Okay.” He held Tony’s eyes for a moment, a silent threat of exactly what would happen if DiNozzo pushed this too far or crossed boundaries that were not to be crossed. But he sensed that Tony knew instinctively how far he could go and would push the very edge of his limits but no further. Jesus, his dick was hard.

Tony’s heart was pounding against the wall of his chest. He had been prepared for Gibbs to tell him to forget it but for some reason had been almost certain the older man would give in. Very gently, he lifted Jethro’s arms one by one and placed them above his head on the pillow, making sure they were supported. This wasn’t about discomfort or pain, it was about trust and surrender. Tony leaned forward and placed his lips to the insides of each of Jethro’s wrists in turn just before he closed the rings around them, secured to one of the thick brass rods on the headboard.

Jethro tested his bonds, pulling until he felt the sharp and foreign bite of steel against his flesh. Tony was watching him, perhaps waiting for him to say that it was too much already. It almost was. But ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’, as Ducky was fond of saying, so he lifted his head as DiNozzo secured the blindfold over his eyes, suppressing the tiny wave if instinctive panic at the darkness he could no longer control. His body was trembling a little already, whether in anticipation or anxiety, but there was no doubt he was aroused by the new mix of sensations. “We’re not making a habit of this,” he warned as Tony tied the knot of the blindfold on the side of his head so it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Got it.” He could almost see the flutter of Jethro’s muscles and he could certainly feel the older man’s slight quaking against the mattress. “Right back.” He went into the kitchen to retrieve a few things and paused to admire the incredible sight of a bound and spread out Gibbs on his way back in. The light through the window was dim, not harsh like that of the city, and Jethro’s skin seemed to radiate its own luminescence in the pale light. The lines of the older man’s body were so masculine, so hard and strong and so at odds with the high swelling of his rounded abdomen that they made for a heady assault on his visual senses. They certainly pleased his cock which twitched delightedly in response.

“So you tied me up and now you’re leaving me here?” Jethro said impatiently. He’d heard the sound of running water and the opening and closing of the refrigerator but now all was silent.

“Sorry, got a little lost,” Tony admitted, crawling back up on the bed. He knelt on the edge and leaned down onto his elbows letting his breath caress the curve of Gibbs’ ear for a moment before he spoke, letting the silence build the older man’s anticipation. “You’re so gorgeous, Jethro,” he breathed. “Whenever I look at you I want to touch every inch of your body. I want to taste you on my tongue every second of every day. You don’t even know the half of what you do to me.”

Tony’s words sent warmth shooting down his spine and he gasped involuntarily. It wasn’t the words so much as the gentle purr in his voice as he said them, the untamed heat behind what he described.

“Do you know that whenever you touch me I want you inside me? And I want you to know how that feels. I want you to know what I think about you doing to me, even when you’re not there.” Tony could see the effect his words were having, could see Jethro’s cock twitch and his nipples peak from beneath the thick nest of chest hair. Gibbs’ breathing picked up and grew shallow and the clink of steel on brass tinkled musically in Tony’s ears as the older man shifted restlessly against his bonds.

Christ, he was seven and a half months pregnant and he was having the most erotic experience of his entire life without Tony even touching him. There had to be something wrong with that somewhere. Jethro’s body was absolutely pulsing with the need for Tony’s hands on his feverish skin. Alert to every sound now, he heard Tony open some kind of container a moment before something indescribably soft and tickling passed over his parted lips.

“Taste,” Tony ordered, licking his own lips unconsciously as Jethro’s tongue darted out and a smile teased at the corner of the older man’s mouth a moment later.

“What is that?” Gibbs asked, licking the rest of the sweet powder from his mouth. There was a slightly floral flavor behind it and it felt fine and soft against his tongue.

“Honey dust.” Tony answered.

“Honey _dust?_ You carry this stuff around with you, DiNozzo?” Jethro asked incredulously. If he kept Tony talking he could almost forget that he was bound in the darkness.

Tony didn’t answer Gibbs’ question this time. Instead, he lowered himself on his elbows until his lips were centimeters from Jethro’s and simply hovered there, tasting his lover’s breath on his tongue and letting the heat of his mouth be his only caress. When Gibbs parted his lips and strained up lightly to meet him, he pulled back, withdrawing until the older man had relaxed back against the covers again. “You have to let go, Jethro,” he whispered, tongue zipping out fleetingly to taste the sweet honey mingled with the delicious flavor of Gibbs.

Jethro felt his pulse in his hips and his wrists and his throat. His mouth watered with the desire to taste Tony and the denial made him want to rail against his bonds rather than give in to the disappointment. He didn’t have long to wait before a new torture began, but it was the space in between, the few seconds of blissful anticipation that made him squirm despite his best efforts. If the CIA used Anthony DiNozzo and honey dust he was pretty sure they could break down any terrorist in a matter of minutes. The tiny feather suddenly swirled without warning around the puckered skin of one taut and aching nipple and now he had to bite his lip to stifle the gasp that tore up his throat. The soft sweep of it was  delicious agony. He wanted more, needed more, but when the flat length of DiNozzo’s tongue unexpectedly rasped slowly against his tender flesh he immediately tensed up. “Careful,” he warned.

Tony understood and made it a point to be gentler than normal, to not allow his fingers to knead the soft tissue the way he wanted to. “Don’t think about anything else but how this feels.” He swept his tongue over the raised nipple again. “Do you like it when I do this to you?”

Another sweep and Gibbs shuddered despite his apprehension. “Yes,” he answered breathlessly, the single syllable forced and tremulous. “Fuck yes.”

This time Tony let his bottom teeth catch on the edge of the puckered nub and Jethro’s shoulder came off the bed, tried to feed hungry flesh into his waiting mouth. Again he pulled back until Gibbs had relaxed. Control was his to give or take tonight and Jethro needed to learn that early. Reaching for a cup which he had placed on the stand beside the bed, he removed a cube of ice from it and popped it into his mouth, letting it chill his tongue thoroughly before pressing the flat of it hard to Gibbs’ nipple and holding.

Jethro’s breath caught in his throat at the surprisingly frigid feel of Tony’s mouth. The mix of warm and cold was staggeringly pleasant and he let out the little moan that formed automatically on his lips. Tony was right, he didn’t need to think about anything but how good this felt and at this point he didn’t think he could have if he tried.

“You want more?” DiNozzo purred against Jethro’s skin.

Unable to do more than nod and hopeful that Tony was watching, Gibbs hummed his delight as Tony’s whole mouth closed over him this time and began to nibble and suck gently. The younger man worked him until pleasure bordered on pain, always gentle, always careful, and a moment before he was ready to beg him to stop, the deepening pressure was removed and the dripping flat of an ice cube was pressed to his nipple, making him suck in a hissing breath and thrust his hips involuntarily against the air. Before he could catch his breath, the cycle was repeated with his other breast and then again with the first and in the end his breath was coming in sharp broken pants. He grabbed the headboard behind him above the cuffs for fear he might actually try to pull free of them if Tony didn’t let up soon.

There was nothing like watching Jethro Gibbs lose control. Tony was so turned on just by the older man’s baritone grunts, groans, and whimpers that his cock was leaking relentlessly onto the sheets without any attention whatsoever. There was an odd but pleasant taste in his mouth, foreign and sweet, and as he placed the dripping cube to Jethro’s abused nipple one last time he guessed the cause. Deciding he’d laved enough devotion on this one area, he shifted lower, moving to the delicious spot just below Gibbs’ ribs where the flat of his flanks met the ball of his belly. His fingers were wet and slippery from the ice but he held onto it and let it drip, watching the tiny rivulets of melt trickle down the slope of Jethro’s swollen tummy before he chased them with his tongue.

His body had calmed a little since DiNozzo moved from his overly sensitive nipples to the only slightly less sensitive skin of his stretched stomach. The cold little unpredictable drops felt wonderful against his heated flesh and Tony’s mouth working hotly over his belly provided the perfect arousing counterpoint. He’d never allowed anyone this much control, and Tony had been right, it felt surprisingly good.

Tony’s tongue moved higher on the dome of Gibbs’ belly, pressed flat against his protruding navel, and suddenly Jethro’s hips shot off the mattress. He looked up the older man’s body and saw him gripping the brass post like a lifeline. Smiling at this newfound source of pleasure, Tony hovered over the little raised button. “Let go of the bed, Jethro,” he ordered. He knew this was Gibbs’ way of getting back a little control and he wasn’t going to make it so easy. “Let go or I’ll leave you like this until you do.” Tony had a firm sense of his power now, of how much Jethro truly needed this and he knew he could push just a little.

Slowly and reluctantly Gibbs released his hold, realizing Tony truly had no intention of continuing until he did and would hold to his word.

“You like this don’t you Jethro? Like giving in to me? Letting someone else be in charge _just this once_.” His voice was a dark rumble as his tongue flicked at the older man’s skin. “You don’t have to carry it all…not all the time. Let me show you how good it feels to let go, Jethro…let me give you that.” He watched as Jethro’s fingers uncurled and relaxed, saw the older man’s breathing slow and deepen as he made gargantuan efforts at acquiescence. “Good,” Tony encouraged, suckling at the sensitive nub atop Gibbs’ big belly as a reward until the he was twisting his hips and begging him to give some attention to his cock. Ignoring Jethro’s pleas, Tony shifted around until he straddled his calves, using his weight as yet another bond.

Tony’s heaviness settling over his lower body made him want to howl in frustration, especially when the younger man’s hands came nowhere near his aching dick, his mouth now wandering almost lazily around the underside of his stomach instead.

Licking into the crease of Jethro’s thigh and feeling the mounting tension in his lover’s muscles, Tony reached for the little jar he had left further up the bed. With a hand on the Gibbs’s stomach to assure that he stayed still, he used the feather with the utmost precision to trace the pulsing vein that marked the center of Gibbs’ beautiful cock, giving no further stimulation after until Jethro’s trembling and curses subsided.

Almost ready to scream in exasperation with the fluttering assault against his throbbing erection, Gibbs anticipated every tickling stroke, trying to make it enough, trying to convince his body that he didn’t _need_ to feel DiNozzo’s fist around his head right this second. Unfortunately, his quivering muscles were not so easily sold on the idea.

Tony sensed Jethro’s desperation, was proud that Gibbs had remained silent and undemanding while he tortured him with pleasure that fell frustratingly below what he truly wanted. Deciding that this level of control deserved an equal measure of compensation, he grabbed the last item from the dresser and shifted his weight, using his knee to coax Jethro’s thighs apart as he slipped in between. Tony stretched out on his stomach and pushed Gibbs’ knees back, giving himself full access.

Dropping his head back in relief when he finally felt DiNozzo’s breath against his inner thigh, Jethro tried to relax again, tried not to anticipate, but just let Tony pleasure him. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done and his chaffing wrists were a testament to that.

Lifting Jethro’s balls gently and parting his cheeks with his thumb and forefinger, Tony slipped a soft, wet cloth into his crack and moistened his hole, cleansing the area before he tossed the cloth aside and immediately let his mouth go to work. His nose rubbed against the underside of Gibbs’ sack as his tongue lapped relentlessly against the tightly puckered hole, teeth nipping and nibbling at his taint.

“Jesus fucking _Christ_ , DiNozzo,” The words left his throat involuntarily as Tony’s tongue wiggled against his asshole, rimmed him until he was slick and loose and more than ready to have the younger man’s finger, his dick, hell, his whole fucking fist inside him just to get some relief.

“You want me to make you come, Jethro?” He paused in his assault momentarily but resumed before Gibbs could even answer.

“Yes,” he breathed, “ _God,_ make me come now…fuck.” Gibbs tried to press down into Tony’s mouth but the moment he did, the magnificent heat of the younger man’s lips was immediately withdrawn and he grunted in disappointment yet again.

“You get to come when I say so, Jethro.” Tony made sure his breath stirred the tiny hairs on Gibbs’ thigh. “You get to come the minute you stop trying to take over.” Jethro’s body quivered above him. “Let. Go,” he ordered, working the very tip of his index finger against the older man’s slightly loosened hole while his tongue suddenly licked up the crease of his balls.

How in the hell was he supposed to relax when DiNozzo’s tongue was doing _that_? How was he supposed to let go when the only thing holding him to earth were the cuffs at his wrists and the weight of Tony’s hand on his belly?

“There’s a part of you that’s still thinking about all the things you can’t fix, Jethro. A part of you that isn’t here with me and I need that. I need _all_ of you tonight. Can you give that to me? Just this once?” Tony coaxed gently, pressing his finger just inside of Gibbs’ tight heat and moving it in and out.

“How?” Gibbs didn’t know where the word came from but it was on his lips instantly, pleading with Tony, begging him to tell him what to do to gain release. His dick felt like it was going to explode and his balls were so tight and heavy that every stroke of Tony’s tongue was glorious agony.

“Just feel me. Only me. This is all that exists for you right now, okay? This is the _only_ thing you have to worry about tonight. Just this.” Tony moved his finger in and out in deepening strokes now, raising up a little to take Jethro’s sack gently in his mouth and hum lightly while the tip of his nose pressed against the thick base of his cock and worked against the dense bundle of nerves there.

There were so many sensations happening at once that Jethro’s senses were on overload. He did as Tony asked and tried to push every single thing from his brain, to open himself completely to what the younger man was giving him right now. His entire body felt alive, on fire with a thrumming beat that only kept growing stronger, more urgent. When the tip of a long finger brushed fleetingly and deliberately against his prostate it was nearly more than his nervous system could handle and he felt moisture on the cloth binding his eyes as tears leaked out of him. He wanted- _needed_ to come so badly but even if he had wanted to beg Tony to release him he didn’t know if he could have.

Tony knew that there was a limit and that he was fast approaching it. With no more preparation, he withdrew the finger teasing at Jethro’s hole and immediately stretched him open with his three middle fingers, pressing relentlessly against the resistance as Gibbs gave a sigh of what could only be relief. Jethro wasn’t fighting him anymore, hadn’t been for the last few minutes and Tony felt a little thrill of triumph at the sure and certain knowledge that Gibbs was all his tonight, perhaps for the first time since they had met. In this moment, what Tony alone could give him was all that mattered in the universe.

Everything suddenly seemed to come at the same time. The welcome little pain of invasion as DiNozzo stretched him wide was dwarfed by the blessed relief he felt when Tony’s other hand finally wrapped around his dick and began stroking him fast and insistently, turning the heat and pressure that had been smoldering inside him for the seeming eternity of this little game into a raging inferno that swept across his already fevered flesh in an instant of unguarded desire. He wanted to pump his hips, to push down onto Tony’s fingers and press him deeper but he knew what the result would be so he forced himself to lie passively while the fire climbed and overcame him. He was so close to coming, so fucking close and yet as he grabbed and strained for release, for that barely elusive edge, it remained frustratingly beyond his reach until his whole body was covered in sweat from his efforts.

Sensing Jethro’s mounting frustration, Tony pressed up with his fingers on each stroke, giving just a little more. “Let go, Jethro,“ Tony coaxed, moving his tongue up to lap at the base of Gibbs’ cock in concert with his stroking fist. “Just let go.”

Whether it was Tony’s tongue or the sexy baritone rumble that urged him to surrender rather than fight, in that moment, Gibbs stopped reaching for release and let his building orgasm take him instead. “Tony…oh fuck, _Tony_ ,” he cried, the final crescendo of it forcing the breath from his lungs as he arced forward as far as his bonds and his belly would allow before falling back against the pillows and letting DiNozzo work him through the endless waves of it that spread out into his limbs and shook him from head to toe. Whether the sensation of his orgasm was more intense than normal or whether his senses were simply more focused by his limitations, he seemed to be coming longer and harder than usual and he was vaguely aware of cooling pools of moisture high up on his chest as a testament to the pure power and pressure.

Tony loved listening to Gibbs when he came. Usually he was caught up in his own throes, but being focused on the other man’s pleasure, focused on his body and it’s responses, made him aware of how turned on he got just listening to the desperation, the throat tearing grunts and groans that came with Jethro’s release. When the fluttering contractions against his fingers began to die out, he gently released Gibbs’ spent cock and moved from between his thighs.

Quickly grabbing the key from the night stand, he unlocked the cuffs and smiled when Jethro simply left his hands where they were, a sign that he had truly and surprisingly gotten the older man into the head space he’d been striving for. “It’s okay Jethro, we’re done now.” He gently massaged Gibbs’ wrists with his thumbs and brought his arms down to his chest before pushing the blindfold slowly away. Jethro’s eyes were closed tight beneath and he left them that way even now that he could have light again if he wanted. It was as if he needed a few moments to allow the senses that had been turned off to wake up again.

Gibbs was somewhere else. Floating in a place where nothing existed beyond the languorous pulse weighing down his limbs and the delightful heaviness deep in his chest.

Tony settled on the mattress beside Jethro, leaving a little space between them. He was certain he’d never seen the older man so relaxed and peaceful looking and was hesitant to invade that until he was asked to.

Aware of Tony’s eyes on him, Jethro gradually began to come back into himself. Even as he did he felt less burdened, more relaxed. Amazing that the surrendering of his own power for that precious hour-he actually had no idea how long it had been since Tony had first bound him-could make him feel more in control now. “I love you,” he whispered, mouth barely moving.

“I love you,” Tony answered, deciding to leave Gibbs in silence for a few more minutes while he cleaned up a little of the mess he’d made. He still had a pretty decent hardon but it would take care of itself or he would take care of it later if necessary. He’d had enough fun watching Jethro lose himself for a little while. He padded into the kitchen to drop the cup of ice in the sink and wash his hands.

Jethro heard Tony move into the other room but remained stretched out on the bed, more comfortable than he had been in days and more relaxed than he had been in months. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and something heavy crashing to the living room floor sent him bolting out of bed in the darkness.


	25. Outwitting

 

  _Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and something heavy crashing to the living room floor sent him bolting out of bed in the darkness_.

Jethro found himself on his feet and at the entryway to the bedroom, clinging to cover and shadows on pure instinct. “Tony,” he said firmly, hearing nothing but silence from the next room.

“I’m good, Jethro. Someone tossed something through the window. Can’t see what yet but I don’t think they stuck around.” Tony hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights on his quick trip to the kitchen but he wasn’t able to see or hear any movement through the now open space where the window had been. “You good?”

Aside from the fact that his heart was still in his throat after being so rudely jarred from the most deeply relaxed state he could ever remember, now that he knew DiNozzo was okay, he was okay. “I’m good,” he confirmed. It was a little code they had fallen into on the first few cases they had worked in the field during the weeks before Gibbs found out about the baby and falling back on it was oddly comforting right now. It also helped him steer his brain away from the seething anger that welled up instantly and toward the neutral calm that came to him when he worked. They were standing in a crime scene and there was a perp to catch, simple as that. They were safe and now it was time to work, nothing else mattered.

“Can you toss me my shoes and pants? Think the glass flew pretty far and I don’t really want to find any of it in the dark.” DiNozzo was hesitant to turn on any lights just in case there was still someone lurking outside. His instincts told him that what had just happened was an act of cowardice designed to intimidate and not a more menacing attempt to draw them out into the open, but it didn’t pay to take chances.

Jethro tugged on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that was growing a little too snug and beginning to ride up over the bottom of his belly, but at the moment he couldn’t be bothered to dig for anything else. Going to the doorway, he could just make out Tony in the corner of the tiny kitchen, clinging to the cover behind the refrigerator. Jethro whistled to get the younger man’s attention and then tossed him his clothing piece at a time before sliding his gun across the tile floor. He caught DiNozzo’s eye. “Just in case,” he said gravely. His own gun was now in his hand as well.

Gibbs began to move slowly into the kitchen, peering as far as he could into the deeper shadows in the living room, but DiNozzo held up a hand to stop him. “Let me.” His eyes flicked down to Jethro’ belly to let the older man know that this wasn’t a request.

Holding back his growl of frustration, Gibbs stepped back into the shadows reluctantly, understanding and agreeing with Tony’s concern even if he didn’t like it.

Glass crunched beneath Tony’s feet as he slowly worked his way down the wall from the kitchen to the living room and toward the front door. The curtains billowed in the warm night breeze but otherwise there was no movement. He could see moonlight reflecting off the broken remains of the large picture window and the myriad of fragments that now littered the room from end to end. There appeared to be something about the size and shape of a large brick near the wall opposite the window. Whoever their would-be assailant was, he or she had a decent arm.

Unlocking and opening the outside door very slowly, DiNozzo announced himself. “I’m an armed Federal Agent. If there’s anyone outside this door you better have damn good aim or some really good running shoes.” Waiting a few moments and still hearing nothing but silence, Tony moved into a crouch and stepped out, quickly clearing both of his sides before moving into a shadow a few feet down that gave him a good vantage point without making him an immediate target. He was pretty sure this was all for naught but he knew better men who had taken bullets during apparent false alarms and he didn’t really feel like becoming a statistic tonight. Besides, Gibbs had promised to kill him several times over if he was stupid enough to get himself shot out in the field. Tony wisely assumed this rule applied to their situation tonight as well.

When he had cleared one side of the building that housed the store and apartment and then the one facing the alley behind with no sign of life or threat, DiNozzo returned cautiously to the apartment where Gibbs was already waiting in the living room with his camera in one hand. “All clear, Boss.” He smiled wearily at the older man, trying to inflect just a little humor into the chaos that had become their quiet and relaxed evening.

Jethro nodded and donned a pair of gloves as he finally flipped on the lights. Just as Tony was about to step back into the apartment the flash of a red strobe came from behind him followed by the single flare of a police siren alerting them to the presence of local law.

“This should be fun.” Tony quickly retreated into the bedroom to grab a shirt, stepping carefully around the larger and more dangerous looking shards of shattered glass. When he emerged, Gibbs tossed him a pair of gloves and an evidence bag with a level glare that silenced him as Ed loomed in the doorway.

“Evening officer,” Gibbs greeted him flatly.

“Got a report of a disturbance, Leroy. Should have known you’d be involved.” He didn’t move further into the small apartment but his eyes took in the room, the shattered window, and their current attire. “Want to tell me what’s going on here?” He looked pointedly at DiNozzo’s gloved hands and the evidence bag which the younger man was currently sealing around the offending projectile. It had indeed been a brick with a few choice words written on it in chalk.

“Processing a crime scene, Ed. Thought you’d recognize an investigation when you saw it.” Jethro’s voice was mostly neutral but Tony distinguished the disdain tinged edges from experience.

“And exactly what crime are you investigating? Looks like a broken window to me. Hardly think that warrants all this trouble.” The khaki clad officer had yet to step into the room.

“Looks like attempted assault on two Federal Agents to me. That’s something that gets taken pretty seriously where I come from. We’re just going to collect some evidence and send it for processing. Might have to call in some backup from DC, but we’ll track down whoever did this.”

Jethro’s tone was deadly serious and DiNozzo had to work at hiding his grin as he bent over and bagged a piece of the glass while Gibbs snapped a few photos of the window and marked patterns of glass fragments. He knew very well the older man had no real intention of making good on either of his threats but also knew Jethro was counting on the fact that Ed was far too weak to see through his well-honed poker face.

“Attempted…you can’t be serious, Leroy,” Ed said incredulously, sweeping off his hat. “This is just a case of a couple teenagers and some youthful mischief. I don’t think you need to go so far as calling in backup.”

“I don’t know, Ed.” Gibbs looked like he was considering this. “Apartment’s been vacant awhile. Means whoever it was knew we were in here. Whole town knows where I work. Sound like a pretty good case for premeditated assault to me. Unless you know something I don’t.”

“You always did have to take things to extremes didn’t you, Leroy?” Ed sighed, knowing Gibbs well and truly had the upper hand this time. He took a few moments and turned his limited options over in his head before responding. “Had some cases of vandalism a few weeks ago. Suspected a couple of local kids. I spoke to their folks and didn’t have another incident. Looks like maybe I’ll have to do something about it after all.  Don’t really think they deserve to be prosecuted for a federal crime at their age. Think we might just keep this local?” The balding man shifted almost unnoticeably from foot to foot giving away his nervousness.

Tony watched as Jethro held Ed’s eyes and let the silence increase the other man’s discomfort. The officer’s eyes kept going uneasily to the evidence bag in DiNozzo’s hand.

“If you think you’ve got enough to bring someone in, Ed. Might consider it.” Gibbs cocked his head to the side, never giving away his true position for a second. “But I’d hate there to be more trouble when I could process this and get a warrant and backup within a few hours.”

“Won’t be any more trouble.  You have my word, Leroy.” Ed gripped tightly to the brim of his hat, the words costing him dearly.

Jethro regarded him steadily. “Okay,” he agreed. “Think we’ll hang onto this though.” He gestured to the evidence bag in Tony’s hand. “Just in case.”

Ed bristled but nodded. Placing his hat on his head he turned for the door but Gibbs’ voice brought him back.

“Expect someone will be around to help replace this window in the morning. Don’t think Jackson would appreciate coming home to a boarded up apartment.” Jethro knew his advantage now and he would press it for all it was worth.

The officer’s jaw worked tightly but eventually he nodded. “I’ll have Don from down at the hardware see to it in the morning,” he said tightly.

Jethro waited until Ed was well and truly gone before he relaxed and stripped off his gloves.

“You think that’s really the end of it?” DiNozzo placed the bag with the brick in it on the counter and made his way over to Gibbs who was rubbing the underside of his belly with a grimace.

“Yeah,” Jethro said tightly. “He may be an asshole but he’s not stupid. Ahh…damnit,” he muttered breathlessly, placing his hands on his knees as his stomach muscles tightened and squeezed.

“You okay?” DiNozzo put a hand to Gibbs’ back and rubbed gently, concerned by the older man’s obvious discomfort.

“Just a cramp,” he grunted. “Going away now.” The tension was easing but the baby was beating up his insides in protest.

“You’d tell me if it was something else, right?” Tony hovered protectively, pushing down the rush of adrenalin and taking his cues from Jethro who did in fact seem to have recovered.

He met Tony’s eyes. “I would,” Gibbs confirmed with a hand to the younger man’s arm. His own limitations frustrated him to no end but despite this, he was actually grateful for Tony’s concern even if he really didn’t know how to express it.

DiNozzo seemed to relax at this and ran a hand through his hair as he looked around at the mess in the living room. “Guess I need to do something about this at least temporarily.”

“I’ll grab the broom from the stockroom. I’m sure I can find some plastic sheeting and a staple gun for tonight.” Jethro started for the door but Tony stepped in front of him.

“ _I’ll_ clean this up and seal the window. _You_ need to lie down. Or at least sit down.” A few months ago he couldn’t have imagined for all the world that he would ever use this tone with Gibbs but here they were.

“I’m fine, DiNozzo.” Jethro said sternly, attempting to move around the younger man who moved right back into his path and used his currently superior agility and extra inches of height to their full advantage.

 “I don’t know what that cramp was but I know the last thing either of us wants is a premature delivery, especially here. So either you go and try to relax while I take care of this or I handcuff you to the bed again, your choice.” Tony stood his ground firmly in the face of Jethro’s death-glare.

Gibbs wasn’t sure what it was but while his initial reaction to Tony’s coddling was pulsing fury, the rush of it faded almost instantly and turned, surprisingly, to amusement at the stone set of the younger man’s jaw. DiNozzo flinched when Jethro leaned in unexpectedly and slipped a hand around the back of his neck, fisting it in his hair as he kissed him hard.

Jethro’s lips came out of nowhere. At first Tony thought it was a rather brilliant strategy to distract him from his firm resolve but as the older man’s mouth gradually softened after its initial attack and the fingers clutching at his nape relaxed and began to stroke and knead gently, he knew the sentiment, whatever it was, was genuine. “What was that for?” Tony asked when he was finally released.

Gibbs placed a hand on his chest, just below his left shoulder. “For loving me, even when I’m not easy,” he said sincerely, turning for the bedroom as requested. “You were right about the cuffs, DiNozzo,” he called over his shoulder. “Liked them a hell of a lot more than I thought I would.”

Tony’s mouth opened and closed a few times, his head spinning at just how quickly Jethro could turn his world on its end, before he departed for the back of the store, keys in hand and a ridiculous grin plastered across his face.

* * *

 

In the morning, after the window had been more securely covered with a sheet of plywood until new panes could be installed, Jethro left Stillwater and made the half hour drive to visit his father, planning to return in the afternoon.

Tony stayed behind, but really, with Billy working, there was very little for him to do. There was a part of him that wanted to explore the town a little but even though Gibbs seemed certain Ed’s assurances from the night before would likely hold true, he didn’t want to go borrowing trouble, particularly without backup. Instead, he did the unexpected and dug into the cold case files Jethro had insisted he bring with him. Surprisingly, after only two hours he had a page of notes on things he wanted to follow up on when he got back to NCIS and he was feeling pretty damn pleased with himself.

Unable to sit in one spot any longer, he stretched his long legs and wandered around while Billy watched him nervously. The traffic in the store was slow but relatively steady. Stillwater had already circulated the news that Jethro had left early that morning for Bloomsburg and apparently the older man’s baby daddy wasn’t as big of an attraction as Gibbs himself. Still, Tony knew most people popping into the store to browse the shelves and purchase one or two odd items were doing so for a peek at him so he put on his most beguiling smile, flirted shamelessly with blushing young housewives, charmed old ladies, and ignored the pursed lips of the one or two more judgmental patrons.

By early afternoon he was beginning to go a little stir crazy. Billy was clearly tired of him hovering over his shoulder and took to doing the labeling and restocking necessary due to their increased business, leaving Tony to thumb through the store’s small collection of DVD’s. After five minutes, he decided to call Abby and check in a little surprise he was cooking up for when they returned home. He had to endure a half hour of questioning from her about every aspect of Jethro’s family and home town until he could get any information in return and he had finally gotten her to settle down just as Gibbs walked back in.

* * *

 

DiNozzo was up to something. Jethro could smell it the moment he walked in the door.

Jackson was making steady headway and it looked as if he would be released the following day if there were no further complications. While he was in Bloomsburg, the hospital had helped to arrange for a nurse to visit once a day for the first week after Jackson came home and a chore service to help him around the house until he was stronger. He would still require oxygen at night for at least a short time and a continued regimen of antibiotics, steroids, and inhalers to increase his lung strength, but the worst was certainly behind him. The hardest part was getting the stubborn elder Gibbs to agree to everything.

Jethro had made the decision to stay in Stillwater until Jackson was settled for the first day but as long as things went smoothly, he and Tony would depart afterward. He had a feeling this would not be his last visit back to his home town and he definitely had mixed feelings about that.

When he walked back into the store, having parked around the back of the building and come in the side entrance, he found Tony on his cell phone at the table across from the counter, furiously scribbling some notes which he shoved hastily into his pocket as soon as he realized he was being watched.

“Gotta go.” Tony quickly ended his call as Gibbs approached and silently cursed the older man’s predictable timing. “How did everything go?” He pushed himself to his feet.

“What was that?” Jethro gestured to the phone in the younger man’s hand.

Tony hesitated just half a beat too long. “Just checking in with the contractors. Looks like they hit a snag with the some of the fixtures so it’s still gonna be another week and a half at my place,” he lied fluidly, wincing internally at the fact that he was willfully deceiving Gibbs even if it was for a good cause.

Jethro studied Tony for a minute. There was a half-truth in what he had just told him but he wasn’t sure which part it was. He was curious more than worried but he decided to humor the younger man, whatever his reasons for subterfuge. “Okay,” he said steadily.

  1. There was no doubt now in Tony’s mind that Gibbs had seen right through him. He should have known better. “How’s Jackson?” He quickly changed the subject.



Accepting the diversion, Jethro filled him in on the details as well as his plans and agreed that he would call Morrow in the morning when he knew for sure that his dad was being released. This gave him an opening to discuss something that had been weighing heavily on him in the last few weeks but particularly since this most recent turn of events with his dad. “Been thinking about work, Tony.”

“I know.” DiNozzo sat back down and pushed out a chair for Jethro. Tony hadn’t wanted to have this conversation yet either but the more entwined their lives were becoming, the more he had to admit to himself that their current arrangement was not likely going to continue to work for them much longer. Besides, he was getting tired of trying to hide. Things were only going to get more difficult for them as the birth of their daughter approached and doctor’s appointments and birth classes, not to mention the event itself, meant that they would both need to be off at the same time on multiple occasions. While they seemed to have Morrow’s support at the moment, it was likely just a matter of time until the Director would be forced into a decision that would affect both of them. Better if they were pro-active about it. “Guess we were crazy to think we could make this work.”

“Don’t think so. If things had stayed like they were in the beginning it might have.” He reached for Tony’s hand. “But then you had to go and fall in love with a bastard like me and make everything more complicated.”

“I blame you,” Tony smiled gently, pulse secretly thrilling at the look of naked adoration in Jethro’s clear blue eyes.

“There are options. Don’t like them, but they’re there. Other teams, other agencies.” That last one was one he didn’t really want to consider unless forced to. DiNozzo was an asset to NCIS and he sure as hell didn’t want to give him up without a fight. If he stayed, they would still work together, though not as closely, but part of their chemistry was certainly in their ability to work a case and he didn’t want to completely lose sight of what had drawn him to the younger man in the first place even if it had been eclipsed by far deeper feelings.

Tony shook his head. “If there’s any option at all I want to stay at NCIS,” he said firmly.

“I’ll do what I can. I have a feeling it won’t be a problem. Might be a little awkward when everyone puts the pieces together. I know we talked about it before, but are you really ready for that?” Tony didn’t strike him as someone who would let the rumor mill get under his skin, but being the butt of the office joke could get a little wearing even on the strongest ego.

“Totally ready. Besides, don’t forget my man points,” he chided.

Gibbs sensed that DiNozzo was covering his uneasiness but he let it go. “I really fucked this up didn’t I?” he sighed, hand going to his belly automatically.

Tony’s face grew serious in the blink of an eye. “Jethro, this is the least fucked up thing I have ever done in my entire life,” he said honestly, resting his hand atop Gibbs’ and squeezing the one he was already holding.

DiNozzo could frustrate the hell out of him, he could annoy him to the point that he was ready to smack the younger man’s head into the middle of next week, but sometimes…sometimes Tony could just plain take his breath away.

Jethro leaned in close to the younger man, close enough to feel the warmth of his body and smell the clean and familiar musk of him. “If there were blinds on those windows I would lock that door, push you back on this table and fuck you somewhere into the canned goods right now.” One hand reached down beneath the table to skim Tony’s thigh and slip between his legs, cupping his dick and balls through the thick denim of his jeans. There was no one in the store currently and his body blocked any view from curious eyes passing by on the street. “Few more minutes and I might not care about the blinds.”

“Uh…you guys realize I’m still here, right?” Billy’s voice came from behind a row of shelves where he had been quietly restocking.

Jethro hadn’t and actually felt a wave of heat flush his cheeks as he pulled his hand from DiNozzo’s body as if he had been burned. He was incredibly uncomfortable with others bearing witness to his private moments. Fortunately, Tony was quick on his feet.

“Good, then we don’t have to close up while we step around back for the next hour.” Tony watched as the young man’s head emerged over the top of the shelves, face as red as his hair. DiNozzo glanced at Jethro who was stony faced in his uncharacteristic embarrassment. “Better make that an hour and a half.” He winked at Gibbs who rolled his eyes but turned for the door none-the-less.

At the last moment Jethro turned back to Billy and held up two fingers in a silent gesture as the younger man flashed him an uncomfortable but amused toothy grin.


	26. Inviting

“You’re going home to rest, Dad,” Jethro said firmly from between clenched teeth. Twenty minutes into the half hour drive home in the truck and he was exhausted. His back hurt, he desperately needed to pee, and Jackson hadn’t stopped arguing with him the entire way about where he would be spending his first afternoon back in Stillwater.

“I’m going to the store, Leroy. Now you can take me home but it’s a damn fine day for a walk, so unless you intend to hold me to the floor for the rest of the afternoon, why don’t you save your energy and just realize that you’re not going to win this argument? I’ve agreed to everything else, now you’re gonna let me go and make sure that you and Billy haven’t run the place into the ground while I sat around in that hospital bed,” Jack finished, slightly winded by his vehement speech.

Jethro sighed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. He was tired, more tired than he thought he should be even given that he hadn’t slept more than a half hour at a time the night before while worrying about leaving Jackson to go back to DC. His mind was tied up wondering whether or not he knew how to say the right things to the older man to let him know that he had been, for lack of a better word, the asshole for the last 20 years, and he didn’t know how, but he was damn sure going to try and make up for it now that he had the chance.  

Deciding that he was indeed on the wrong end of a losing battle, but mostly just too drained to continue to resist, he eventually pulled up to the curb outside the store without further argument and turned off the ignition for the truck. “Two hours, Jack, and then home.” At the very least they could strike a bargain.

Jackson was about to protest, but seeing the dark rings under Jethro’s eyes and the slump of his shoulders muted his planned remonstration. “Maybe I’m not the one who needs the rest, Leroy,” he said with genuine concern, forehead furrowing as he assessed his son’s obvious exhaustion. “I’m sorry if this was all too much for you, son.”

“I’m fine, Jack. Just tired. And a lot of that has nothing to do with you,” Gibbs reassured the older man, resting his hand on his belly with a faint smile. “This girl’s a bit of a night owl, and carrying one of these around takes a lot more energy than I thought it would.”

Quiet for a moment, Jackson contemplated Jethro’s pregnancy with hesitant inquisitiveness. “What’s that like?” he asked finally, admitting to a curiosity that had been plaguing him for days. He placed a very gentle hand on Jethro’s belly, the first time he had done so purposefully.

“Being pregnant?” Jethro fought hard not to shift in discomfort. Both the touch and the question were unexpected and Gibbs felt a little color rise in his cheeks before he fought it down in annoyance. It seemed an odd discussion to be having with Jackson, somewhat akin to talking to a parent about his sex life, and it made him strangely uncomfortable. “Weird, mostly. And a pain in the ass a lot of the time,” he answered honestly. “It’s different than I thought it would be. Not that I spent a lot of time thinking about it before this, but it just…it changes things.” Jethro tried to remember what it was like _not_ being pregnant and came up short. “I feel everything she does in there and I’m never, ever alone. There’s just this…awareness…that you’re totally responsible for someone else’s life. That you’re attached in a way you’re not after they’re born.” His thoughts went internal. “I loved Kelly from the minute I laid eyes on her but this…”He stroked the curve of his stomach. “I haven’t even met her yet and it’s there already…maybe even stronger,” he admitted, something he had been struggling very hard with in these last few weeks. The fear that the love he already felt for this unborn child might, in a way, eclipse that of the daughter he had already lost.

“I remember how your mother was when she was pregnant with you, but I never thought that you’d ever…it’s just such a remarkable thing, Leroy.” There was a bit of undisguised awe there colored only slightly with still churning disbelief.

Jethro came out of his head a little at the sound of Jackson’s voice. “It is,” he agreed. “I really had no idea.” He took Jackson’s hand and put it to the side of his belly where tiny feet gave an answering push a few seconds later. Jethro saw the other man’s eyes light up in awe and was suddenly glad he’d gone through all the hell it had taken to bring them to this moment.

“She’s gonna be one lucky little girl, Leroy. To have someone that loves her as much as I know you will.” Blue eyes met blue for just a moment and more passed between them than words.

“Thanks, Dad.” Jethro said quietly, feeling Jackson’s earnestness through the strength of his gaze and genuinely surprised at his words. Maybe this was the opening he had been looking for, the chance to say what he really didn’t know how to say. He opened his mouth, but Jackson was moving before he had a chance to form the words.

“Now help me out of this heap, will ya? I’ve got a business to run.”

Slightly awkward father-son moment over, Jethro was glad when Tony emerged from the store to greet them and take Jackson’s arm. He left his small bag of personal items in the truck for now and couldn’t help but notice the concern etched clearly on Tony’s face as he came around the truck and saw him. “Later,” he silenced the younger man with a word and a glare when he looked about to grab his arm as well. Thankfully Tony relented with only a nod, but his eyes still carried the weight of his worry and Jethro felt a quick stab of guilt.

Pausing just inside the door, Jackson looked around with narrowed eyes, seemed almost to sniff the air, to taste it on his tongue. “Something’s different.” He turned to Jethro accusingly. “What did you change?”

“Nothing, Dad.” He tried not to bristle at the complaint but couldn’t hold back the roll of his eyes. “Not even that antiquated rack of fishing tackle that desperately needs a paint job. I know how you are about this place.”

“That’s right. Everything right where I want it. Except something isn’t.” Seemingly unsatisfied, the elder Gibbs made his way slowly to the space behind the counter and paused. “Did you do this, Leroy?” His voice was oddly hushed, almost thick, and he turned around to confront Jethro with disbelieving eyes.

Stepping to his father’s shoulder, Jethro immediately saw what had drawn Jack’s attention. There, squeezed into the small space between the pictures of him with his mother and Jackson with Kelly was the small, framed image of his 20 week ultrasound. He knew this could only be Tony’s copy, Tony’s doing.

A distinct lump rose immediately in his throat and he fought against the sting in his eyes as he turned to Tony who had somehow found a way to speak to Jackson for him without using any words whatsoever. With one simple gesture Tony had invited the older man into their lives, into the life of their child, and set father and son on the path to a fresh start.

For his part, Tony gave no acknowledgement aside from a gentle smile and a slow nod that told Jethro he had been nervous about how the photo would be received and was now both pleased and relieved.

“Thank you, Leroy. She’s beautiful.” There was no mistaking the sheen in the older man’s eyes as he pulled his son into an embrace, their first in many decades.

Jethro stiffened initially, conscious of his hard belly pressing into Jackson, but when his father showed no signs of releasing him, he gave in, let his body relax into the oddly comforting warmth of a paternal embrace he’d thought he would never know again. “You’re welcome, Dad,” he whispered against the curve of Jackson’s ear, resting his cheek lightly against the older man’s as he squeezed his eyes shut and forced back the tears which were a product of deeply buried emotion rearing up and stretching it’s legs after many years as much as exhaustion and surging hormones.

When it was over, both men were reaching for handkerchiefs while busily disengaging. Jethro cleared his throat awkwardly, remembering that Billy and Tony were still present somewhere beyond the private circle they had created in that moment.

Feeling relief that he didn’t fully understand, Jethro simultaneously became more aware again of the insistent press of baby against bladder, but he had something he needed to do first, and it needed to happen fast if he wasn’t going to piss his pants.

 He hurriedly got Jackson settled at the table across from the counter and scanned the store for Billy who had tried in vain to make himself invisible behind a rack of fresh baked goods. “You,” Gibbs barked at the ginger haired young man, “watch him.” He turned back to Jackson. “You, stay there. I hear you so much as got up to go to the head without help I swear to God, Dad, I will handcuff you to that chair for the rest of the afternoon.” He let his words sink in and waited for the inevitable protest but Jackson looked more stunned by his abrupt shift in tone than anything else. “You,” his eyes turned to rest on Tony, “with me.” He stalked out the door like a man who wasn’t carrying something the size of a basketball between his hips.

Tony’s swelling heart dropped somewhere into his ankles as Gibbs went all business in a heartbeat. In half a second he was back in the bullpen taking orders and waiting for the ever present slap to the back of his head.

Without a word, he followed Jethro out the side door where he was genuinely surprised to find himself immediately thrust up against the flat of the building and kissed soundly in yet another Gibbs 180. Confusion faded quickly in the face of Jethro’s warm and insistent mouth, and his body gave in to it completely, not caring _why_ it was happening, only that it _was_ happening.

When the pressure on his bladder became so urgent he could stand it no longer, Jethro finally released Tony. “I love you,” he whispered hotly against the younger man’s still-open mouth, moving away reluctantly and trailing his fingers down Tony’s cheek lingeringly before nearly running into the apartment.

Still a little stunned, Tony was a few beats behind and caught up to Jethro inside the apartment where he had already disappeared into the bathroom. He smiled at the relieved groan that filtered under the door a few seconds later and finally understood at least one thing that had happened in the last ten minutes. When Gibbs finally emerged, he looked more relaxed, but now that Tony was able to observe him alone, his exhaustion was even more plainly evident across his features and in the way he slumped against the door jam and ran his hands through his hair roughly as if trying to rouse himself.

“You need to rest,” Tony said insistently.

“Can’t,” Jethro shook his head and pushed himself off the wall with some effort. “Need to get his meds from the pharmacy, nurse comes at 4, and I want to stock the house with groceries for the next week before he tries to do it himself.”

Tony moved into his path to the door in an imitation of their dance from two nights ago. “It wasn’t a suggestion, Jethro.” He didn’t change his volume but there was no mistaking the firm voice of command. “I can do all of those things, and you look like you’re about ready to fall down.”

Gibbs looked the younger man up and down, held his eyes as his temper flared and then quickly dwindled to embers in the face of his fatigue. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t need you mothering me, DiNozzo?” There was no fight in it and his wide yawn lent the argument no credence.

“I’m not mothering you, you stubborn bastard, I’m mothering her.” Tony’s hand went to Jethro’s belly, thumb stroking the firm curve of it through his shirt. “Now come lay down.” His words were unyielding but undeniably gentle. He knew he had won the fight before it even started and he led the way to the bedroom, not even looking back to make certain he was being followed.

“How the hell do you intend to get anything done if you insist on hovering over me while I sleep?” Gibbs growled in weak protest as he stripped down to boxers.

Tony remained fully clothed and watched patiently as the older man climbed into bed and curled onto his side, situated himself until his belly was supported by the long pillow and another was stuffed hastily between his knees. He knew it bothered Jethro to be this high maintenance about sleep but also knew there was no other comfortable position for him at this point. “I’ll stay until you’re asleep.” Tony climbed in next to him but didn’t cuddle up like normal so that he could easily extract himself once Gibbs dozed off. “And don’t even try faking it because I always know.”

Jethro muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

“Call me whatever the hell you want as long as you get a few hours rest.” He waited a few moments and then stroked his palm slowly over Jethro’s shoulder and down to the curve of his spine soothingly. “Let go, Jethro” he whispered. “You don’t have to do it all alone.”

Gibbs shivered at the sound of Tony’s voice. The echo of the words from the other night brought on an almost Pavlovian response of relaxation and he sighed involuntarily, calming beneath DiNozzo’s light caress across his back and the pure comfort of his lover’s presence. He felt himself begin to drift, his brain focused only on Tony’s gently murmured mantra.

“Let go,” DiNozzo repeated over and over, the words a rhythmic whisper in concert with the slow sweep of his fingertips. “Let go.” Eventually he felt Jethro’s muscles relax and the older man’s breathing even out, become interspersed with soft snores than made him grin. Gibbs would argue to his death that he never snored, but Tony knew better.

Finally satisfied that Jethro was truly deep in sleep, Tony rolled slowly off the bed and gazed fondly at the quiescent man stretched out on the bed below him. Gibbs’ face looked younger in sleep, already less tired, and Tony’s chest ached fiercely at the peaceful look etched across his features. “Love you,” he whispered, finally turning for the door and hoping that Jethro would stay put long enough to ease the worry that had planted itself firmly in his gut over the last day or so as he watched Gibbs run himself into the ground in his angst over his father.  

XXX

Gibbs woke to the sound of Tony’s muffled baritone coming from, what sounded like, a few rooms away. Stretching arms and legs which felt remarkably less heavy, less sore, Jethro resisted the urge to snuggle back into the pillows and fall back into the blessedly somnolent state between waking and dreams that he had been swimming peacefully in for the last few minutes. When he finally let his eyes flutter open slowly and realized that the light coming through the window already had the amber glow of early evening, he cursed both himself and DiNozzo for letting him sleep so long. Though, despite the annoyance, he had to admit that he felt surprisingly more rested even if it was tinged with a dose of guilt for allowing Tony to take on the burdens that should have been his.

 _‘You don’t have to do it all alone.’_ The younger man’s words drifted through his memory. For as long as Jethro could remember, he always _had_ done it alone and realizing that he no longer could was a bitter pill to swallow. A fact that frustrated the hell out of him. No matter how much he trusted that he could rely on Tony, a stubborn part of him obdurately rebelled against even the tiniest bit of dependence. Unfortunately, the insistent kicks now coming steadily against the inside of his abdominal wall were a not so subtle reminder that complete autonomy was no longer a choice he had.

Sniffing the air, Gibbs caught the scent of pungent garlic and tangy tomato sauce seeping beneath the bedroom door and felt his stomach give a rather insistent rumble at the deliciously enticing smell of Tony’s Italian cooking. Pushing himself up, he padded silently to the doorway, not bothering to don clothes other than the boxers he already wore. His belly was itchy again and he scratched it idly, hoping it was just from the warmth of the bed and not his already taught skin stretching further to accommodate the ever-growing fetus.

Stopping for a moment to listen, he was able to pick up pieces of one-sided conversation from whoever DiNozzo was on the phone with. Feeling slightly guilty didn’t stop him from eavesdropping for just a few seconds longer.

_“Just use my card for the rest of it, it’s all on the list….call me if you have any problems…I’d guess around 3 or 4 tomorrow afternoon but it depends on how things go in the morning…And Ducky’s got everything else taken care of?...Okay, Abbs…gotta run. See you back in the lab in a couple days.”_

This last part was slightly more audible but it was clear from the rest that his earlier suspicions about Tony’s dubious conspiratorial acts with Abby were well founded. Letting the door swing open, Gibbs walked through and stretched lazily for effect, noticing that DiNozzo didn’t seem at all startled by his sudden emergence.

“You know you don’t sneak as well as you used to, Gibbs,” Tony said without looking up from where he was hastily scribbling some notes which he then tucked away in his pocket. “I knew you were listening.”

Amused but not surprised, Jethro took a seat beside him at the small side table in the make-shift dining area. “Then you’ll have no problem telling me exactly what in the hell you’re up to, DiNozzo.”

Tony grinned at him in mock-innocence. “You sleep well?” Gibbs could press all he wanted but he was one day away from pulling off a hell of a surprise and there was no way he was giving it up now. The snippet of his conversation which Jethro had overheard would only serve to whet the older man’s appetite and make the eventual payoff that much sweeter.

Blue eyes bored into green but it was clear Tony’s resolve was strong on this one and short of threatening the younger man, he knew pushing the issue would be fruitless. “Fine,” he relented. “Smells good in here. I’m starving,” he admitted. “Why did you let me sleep so long?”

“Because you needed it.” Tony went to the microwave and pulled out an oblong tinfoil package, removing a piece of warm, freshly made garlic bread which he plopped on a plate and set in front of Jethro. “Eat this to hold you over. I made a lasagna but you need to shower and get dressed first, we’re going out.”

“Where’s Jackson?” Gibbs tore a piece of the crusty bread off and popped it into his mouth gratefully. He didn’t bother asking Tony if he’d gotten everything done. The younger man wouldn’t be sitting in front of him right now if he hadn’t.

“Resting at home. Your friend Miranda came by the store earlier and offered to Jack-sit for the rest of the evening. Let me run out and get his shopping done while I picked up a few things to cook dinner for all of us.” Tony swiped a piece of Jethro’s snack before the older man could object. “I was just waiting for you to wake up,” he said around the buttery mouthful.

Jethro chewed slowly, contemplating the man in front of him who seemed to be full of endless surprises. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “For helping with him, for helping me, you didn’t have to…and the photo…” Tony’s face was unreadable but as he reached for him, the younger man quickly pushed back his chair and moved hurriedly to the sink where he made a show of industriously rinsing dirty dishes.

“We should get going before everything gets too cold.” Tony cleared his throat and cursed the tell-tale hitch in his voice. The scrape of Jethro’s chair on the linoleum said he wasn’t falling for it for a second and DiNozzo wasn’t surprised to feel the warmth of the older man’s palm against his shoulder a moment later.

“Tony,” Jethro said soothingly. “I shouldn’t have put all of this on you. Know it wasn’t exactly what you signed up for when you said you wanted to be a part of our lives.”

Turning reluctantly against the insistent pressure of Jethro’s hand, Tony hung his head and swiped angrily at his damp eyes. “I miss him, Gibbs.” He looked up at the older man imploringly, begging him to understand. “He’s a selfish asshole but goddamn it, I miss him…miss the father he _used_ to be, you know?” It was all coming out in one big breath now. “And when I see you two together…see a chance? There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make that happen for you because I can’t...” He shook his head, unable to continue. The tears were hot on his cheeks now and he didn’t give a damn anymore. He’d been an orphan, for all intents and purposes, for the last 16 years or so and suddenly in Jethro and Jackson and his unborn daughter he felt a sort of make-shift family setting itself up around him and he would do anything, anything to bring them together and keep them there.

Startled by the raw emotion shining in Tony’s eyes, the rare and unguarded lost-boy that stood before him, Gibbs didn’t hesitate to pull the younger man into his arms and hold him there, unmindful of the dampness against his bare shoulder and Tony’s deep stuttering hiccups against his chest. Eventually DiNozzo got himself under control again and his breathing calmed, but he still clung to Jethro’s shoulders as if he wasn’t quite certain how to let go.

“Jesus, I’m an idiot,” Tony eventually sniffled into the curve of Gibbs’ neck, realized his own shoulder was damp where Jethro’s cheek pressed to it. “What the hell is wrong with me?” he laughed bitterly.

“Hey,” Gibbs ran a hand slowly down Tony’s back from the top of his spine to the tip of his tailbone. “I can blame these damn hormones, I don’t know what in the hell your excuse is.” He tapped the back of the younger man’s head lightly.

“Maybe it’s catching,” Tony joked, smiling against the warmth of Jethro’s skin.

“For both our sakes you better hope to hell it isn’t.” They finally pulled apart and despite how close they had grown over the last several weeks and months, the moment was still a little awkward.

Tony ran a hand through his hair and had a little trouble meeting the older man’s slightly puffy eyes as he shuffled his feet. “I feel like I need to do something really manly right now like chop wood or…use a power tool.” His fingers fidgeted with the edge of a dish towel.

Jethro caught the back of Tony’s neck and brushed the younger man’s still-moist cheek with his thumb. “How about you come and fuck me in the shower and we call it good?” Gibbs kissed his mouth lightly in invitation and saw a flicker of light in his eyes.

Tony broke out in a broad grin as Jethro turned and pushed his boxers over his hips until they pooled softly at his feet where he could step out of them. “Deal,” he said as he followed Gibbs’ round bottom into the other room and away from any other care he had at the moment. 


	27. Travelling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick thank you for all the wonderful notes on this fic. I'm still mystified by the love and interest in this story of mine and I thank every one who has taken a moment to read even a word of it!

Tony glanced sideways to where Jethro leaned against the door of the truck, coat bunched up beneath his head to act as a make-shift pillow. His face was once again lax in the grips sleep but DiNozzo noticed that he shifted uncomfortably every so often and gave soft little grunts between snores when they went over particularly rough stretches of road.

They’d left Jackson a couple hours ago under the watchful eyes of Billy and Miranda who promised to keep close tabs on him and let Jethro know if anything changed at all or if the elder Jackson refused any of the aftercare that had been a part of his bargain with his son. He knew that Gibbs was more than a little worried about leaving the older man even with all of the supports they’d put in place, but he didn’t let on.

Tony’d purposefully looked away as the two said goodbye to eachother, partly out of a desire to afford them a little privacy and partly to press the heels of his palms into his eyes to prevent a recurrence of the previous night’s water works. The firm and surprising embrace he received from Jackson when he offered his hand made his eyes burn anew and he sniffed his goodbye while squaring his shoulders and looking anywhere but into the ice blue eyes which were as haunting as Jethro’s.

The fact that GIbbs handed him the keys without a word before they left and dozed off before they were less than a half mile out of town spoke to the fact that naps were more than likely going to be a part of their daily routine for these last few weeks of late pregnancy. He’d been out for the better part of two hours now but Tony was loathe to wake him even to ask if he needed a pit stop or one of the snacks they had packed away in the back.

As he watched the older man as much as the traffic on the road would let him, Tony was certain it wasn’t his imagination. The belly had definitely grown even in the time they’d been gone, and the bottom curve of it rested on Jethro’s thighs now. One of the older man’s arms curled protectively atop the mound and over his ribs even in sleep, and Tony smiled sympathetically as he tried hard to imagine what another several weeks of growing baby was going to do to him.

As if sensing Tony’s eyes on him, Jethro slowly began to stir. Stretching as much as the truck’s bench seat would allow, Gibbs winced at the stiffness in his lower back but had to admit that the seemingly ever-present heaviness and fatigue that had begun to plague him daily had been diminished, at least for the moment. “What?” he grumbled in the face of Tony’s somewhat bemused grin.

“You’re cute when you wake up from a nap.” Tony winked at him and moved to rest a hand on Jethro’s thigh, surprised when it was quickly shoved away.

“Nobody’s called me cute since I was 5, DiNozzo.” He shifted uncomfortably with a tight grimace. “Have to piss. Pull off. Now.” The urgency seemed to be creeping up on him much more frequently now and he seriously felt like he was going to burst any second.

Tony took the exit which he had just been about to pass. “Okay, so you’re an asshole when you wake up from a nap.” Gibbs didn’t really seem more satisfied with this but it was clear that his discomfort was taking precedence over his need to retort. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be anything immediately promising in terms of a bathroom at this exit so Tony quickly turned down an unpopulated side road and pulled over at the first decent looking shrub, noticing how Gibbs flinched at every single bump along the way. “But you’re still cute,” he chided loudly as the pregnant man bolted from the vehicle almost before he had come to a stop.

Jethro barely managed to fumble his zipper open in time as he rounded the sparse covering of undergrowth that _almost_ hid him from view. Relief flooded his whole body and he sighed at the pleasure that came with alleviation of the intense pressure on his bladder.

Gibbs looked much happier as he made his way back to the truck and heaved himself up into the cab. “Better?” Tony asked as Jethro sagged against the seat.

“Much,” he grunted, turning to Tony with a new scowl. “When this is over we are buying a lifetime supply of condoms.” Gibbs rubbed his belly accusingly.

Tony grinned and rested his hand on the rounded bump, happy not to be put off this time. “A lifetime, huh?” He had keyed in on this phrase hopefully and quirked an eyebrow at Gibbs.

Jethro regarded him steadily and felt the immediate shift in the air inside the truck. “Maybe.” He watched closely for Tony’s reaction to that, for the reaction underneath the one he could easily read. Tony was still a bit of a mystery to him in some respects but he liked it that way. What he saw now was barely masked elation tinged with only the barest brushstrokes of fear, something akin to what he felt himself when he contemplated their future, but with surprisingly less reservation than he had expected.

Feeling that he was being weighed and measured as he had been so many times through Gibbs’ eyes since they’d met, Tony held fast in the face of the challenge until released and saw the satisfaction in the older man’s eyes. When the moment was clearly over-a matter of seconds which felt like hours- he began to gently rub the mound of Jethro’s tummy in slow circles over the light covering of his shirt. “How’s my girl doing in there today?”

Gibbs relaxed back against the seat with a barely held in moan. Tony’s hand felt so good against his stomach and the younger man rubbed with just enough pressure to ease sore, stretched muscle. “Quiet, thank god. My ribs need a damn break.” The baby was most active early in the morning and late at night now but she wasn’t above giving him a pummeling mid-day either.

“Don’t stop doing that,” Jethro demanded, pressing up slightly into Tony’s palm. He couldn’t help himself, or rather, he really didn’t want to. Comfort was becoming a rare commodity, and right now, with the air conditioning vent aimed at overheated skin in the warm summer sun, his bladder blissfully empty for a few minutes, and knowing fingers massaging his taut bump, he was damn near in heaven.  The rest of his body knew it too, and his dick was pressing urgently against his zipper in no time.

Tony sat mesmerized by Jethro’s fast response to his innocently intended touch. He never knew what was going to set off the older man these days and Gibbs’ seemingly constant half-aroused state was never lost on him. In fact, it put his memories of being a horny teenager to shame and made him just a little envious. “We’re in a public place. In broad daylight. ” It wasn’t an objection to what was clearly on Jethro’s mind, more of a statement of the obvious to test the older man’s willingness to proceed.

“We’re in the middle of nowhere.” In answer, Gibbs’ hand slid to his own zipper and pushed it down carefully. He pulled out his cock, groaned as he squeezed the thick head to milk a couple of drops of moisture from its tip and send them spilling down the veiny shaft while he pushed up the hem of his shirt with his other hand.  “Don’t stop.” The demand was throatier this time as he bared his furred chest and firm belly to Tony’s touch and began to stroke himself.

“You fucking kill me,” Tony growled, his voice pure and breathy lust as he undid his seatbelt with his free hand and scooted closer to Gibbs, angling his body so that he was free to touch with both sets of suddenly itching fingers. His mouth was salivating for the taste of the older man’s tongue, his skin, his cock, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Jethro’s face, the utter bliss etched across his features that rippled with each sweep of Tony’s fingertips over his fevered flesh.

Desire had taken Gibbs firm and fast and his body pulsed hard with it, already beating a short path towards release. Tony’s hands roamed his torso from throat to pubic bone and back again, dipping into the little hollows he knew were Jethro’s weaknesses, tweaking his taut nipples, teasing the nub of his navel.

Gibbs’ breathing became fitful, the strokes on his cock more stuttered as need began to win the war over his desire to prolong his pleasure. He’d never been this willing to give in to his body’s nearly irrepressible demands without a fight, never been this _eager_ to lose control, but here he was, pumping his cock into his fist along the side of the road, so close to coming he could taste it, and not caring for a second that the sounds and curses flowing from between his lips crackled and echoed, sharp and then dimmer in the small space around them.

Tony felt like he was barely along for the ride that had swept up Jethro and carried him swiftly toward impending orgasm. The pregnant man was so lost in the throes of his own ramping pleasure that he wasn’t even sure how aware Gibbs was of his presence any more. Something had been let loose in Jethro now and Tony was pretty sure his diversions from a few nights before were at least partly to blame for the emergence of the wanton creature who now writhed impatiently beneath his hands. Gibbs’s voice startled him out of his almost hypnotized state with a desperate plea.

“Tony,” Jethro panted brokenly, “your mouth…oh fuck, please…just…”

More than eager to oblige, Tony leaned forward, shifting his long legs toward the driver’s side as he braced himself against Jethro’s thighs with one arm and caught his still thrusting cock between his lips. His other hand kept tracing restless circles over Gibbs’ swollen belly and, given that it was what had started this whole little incident, he was pretty certain the older man would kick him if he stopped now.

The moist heat of Tony’s mouth closing over his head made his balls contract and expand in rapid succession and Jethro got off a few quick thrusts before Tony hollowed his cheeks and flicked his talented tongue in the way that made it absolutely impossible to resist the flood of heat that tore through him after only a few seconds of that sweet embrace.

Trembling fingers slipped into Tony’s hair, clutched at his nape as Jethro shook beneath him, filled his mouth with thick spurts that coated his tongue and slid lazily down his throat, and oh fuck the _sounds_ Gibbs made as he came. Amplified by glass, muted by leather, each one made the nerves in Tony’s spine sing and his dick twitch in sympathy.  He sucked Jethro through it noisily, adding his sloppy wet hums of gratification to the symphony of dwindling moans.

When Tony finally pushed himself upright, Jethro licked the tiny beads of sweat from his upper lip and opened heavy lids enough so that a sliver of blue shone through. DiNozzo leaned in and kissed him hungrily, driving his tongue into Jethro’s lazy mouth to feed him his own taste and swallow the sated purr that climbed up the older man’s throat when he grazed a nipple with one fingernail. “I take it back,” Tony muttered against Gibbs’ lips. “You’re fucking sexy when you wake up from a nap.” He grinned happily.

“Mmm…I owe you for that.” Jethro’s nose brushed lightly against his.

“Think you owe me more than a coupe at this point,” Tony teased. “Be careful, I might collect when you least expect it.” He kissed Gibbs one last time and began to pull back when something in the side mirror caught his eye and made his heart fly into his throat.

“Cover up. We got company.” A black and white had pulled up behind then and turned on its lights and he was just in time to see the driver’s side door open up. Tony was back on his side of the truck instantly and reaching for his driver’s license and NCIS creds. He wasn’t sure if being a Federal Agent was going to help him in this particular situation, but he really hoped it didn’t hurt.  “I blame you for this,” he muttered to Gibbs who had pulled his shirt down and zipped up half a second before a uniformed officer knocked politely on Tony’s window.

“Hey there,” DiNozzo greeted him with a winning smile, hoping desperately that his breath didn’t smell like cum.

“You gentleman having any trouble?” their visitor asked politely. He sniffed the air almost delicately and raised a brow.

The young and, Tony noticed, quite handsome dark-haired officer pushed his wide brimmed hat up on his forehead with one finger and DiNozzo swore the side of his mouth was twitching in a suppressed grin as he looked at the two of them, eyes lingering on Jethro’s swollen stomach and Tony’s equally swollen lips.

“No sir, officer. My uhh…friend here was just feeling a little car sick so we pulled off the freeway for a second to, you know…let him stretch his legs.” It wasn’t his best lie but Tony thought it seemed plausible. He turned to glare at Jethro who remained quiet and seemingly completely undisturbed by the fact that they were half a minute away from being arrested for committing a lewd act in a public place.

“That so?” He looked to Gibbs for confirmation.

“Yup,” the older man confirmed unhelpfully. Though it seemed he arched his back to make his belly even bigger and gave it a little rub to draw the officer’s eye.

“Can I see some identification, please?” He reached in to grab Tony’s hastily offered ID but kept his eyes on Jethro. “You about 8 months?” The officer asked with a little nod toward the older man.

“Close enough,” Gibbs confirmed, shifting a little in his seat with an exaggerated grunt.

Tony thought Jethro was acting awfully odd but kept his mouth shut. Something was passing between the two men and whatever it was was going over his head.

The officer looked at Tony’s badge for the first time. “You two down from DC on a case? Don’t get much call for NCIS this far inland.” He copied Tony’s badge number and his license.

“Just personal business,” DiNozzo answered. “We’re actually on our way back now.”

Handing the ID back through the window, the officer nodded idly. “Pease stay in the vehicle. Just gonna run these and I’ll be right back.”

“What in the hell were you doing?” Tony turned to Jethro as soon as their visitor was out of earshot.

“Getting us out of a hell of a lot of hassle. He was totally checking me out. Or checking this out at least.” He patted his belly. “Guy’s got a bigger fetish than you do, DiNozzo.”

“I do not have a...” Tony’s objection was interrupted by the crunch of gravel as the officer returned.

“Everything checked out. I’ll just remind you that there’s no parking along most of the side roads in this county unless there’s a clearly marked shoulder or you’re having an emergency.” His eyes flickered over to Jethro once more. “Boy or girl?” he asked, almost shyly.

“Girl,” Gibbs confirmed.

The officer nodded and smiled. “Husband and I have two boys at home. By the time he was in his eighth month with the last one we had to…uh, ‘pull off’ a few times ourselves.” He winked knowingly. “Probably best if you don’t make any more unplanned side trips on the way back to DC though.”

“You got it officer uh…” Tony read the shiny brass name tag on his chest as relief and mystification flooded him simultaneously. “Moore.” He grinned again, this time much more genuinely.

Officer Moore tipped his hat and DiNozzo started the car and pulled away slowly as soon as he had stepped back from the truck.

“You’re amazing,” Tony said, shaking his head at Gibbs who had curled back up against the window and appeared ready to continue his nap.

“Hey,” Jethro yawned. “I’m huge and pregnant and uncomfortable. It’s gotta come in handy sometimes.”

As the miles drifted by, Tony wondered yet again how it was possible to love this man more than he did only a few minutes before, but somehow, his heart had found a way.


	28. Surprising

****

Tony’s nervousness increased exponentially as they approached DC. He was glad that Jethro was still blissfully asleep, but the older man’s restful state meant that he was essentially alone in the truck for the four hour drive. Alone in his head, with his thoughts, slowly going crazy with a tiny bit of boredom and hefty dose of anxiety over the surprise that awaited Gibbs when they got home.

Over the last hour and a half, since their little pit stop and adventures in auto erotica, his analytical and ADD brain had sorted and classified his apprehension into two basic categories. The first centered around the myriad of ways that something would go wrong. Some detail would remain unfinished that would detract from the overall effect, and thus the grand gesture he was going for and all his efforts would have been wasted. Along these same lines was the very real possibility that Gibbs simply wouldn’t like the choices he had made. Abby had assured him again and again that everything was in place right down to the last nail, and when that wasn’t enough she’d put Ducky on the phone to add his sworn declaration that everything was indeed perfect. But even in the face of this steadfast endorsement, he knew he wouldn’t truly believe it until he saw it with his own eyes, and for better or worse that moment was drawing closer and closer with each passing mile marker.

The second cause of Tony’s currently bouncing brain, the one that was really causing his heart to race, was the stabbing worry, however unlikely, that Jethro might actually kill him for taking such extreme liberties. Or leave him, which would truly be worse, now that he thought about it.

At least if he was dead he wouldn’t have to miss the bastard.

It was really this second part which had his stomach tied up in knots and the small of his back sticky with nervous sweat as he took the off-ramp from the beltline which would take him to Gibbs’ street. In truth, he was taking a big gamble on his gut which said that ultimately, the older man would be pleased, perhaps even impressed at the lengths he was willing to go to for him and their unborn child.

Jethro woke as the truck slowed, blinking uncertainly for a moment as he pushed himself upright off the door and tugged his shirt down over his belly from where it had ridden up slightly.

“Almost home, Boss.” The use of Gibbs’ work-only title spoke to Tony’s jitters and he hoped that Jethro thought it endearing rather than suspicious.

“Thought we had to go back to your place?” Gibbs yawned, stretching lazy muscles. He knew he shouldn’t have slept as long as he did, but after the sporadic sleep he’d gotten over the last week and the stress of dealing with Jackson and Stillwater in general, he had to admit that it felt damn good.

“Just wanna pick up a couple shirts I need for this week.” Tony glanced out the corner of his eye at Jethro.

“DiNozzo, I’ve seen your closets. You’ve got more shirts than you could wear in an entire month,” he muttered as he shifted and tried to work the kinks out of his back.

“Yeah, but these are a couple of my favorites. Besides, the others get lonely when a few of the pack are missing.” He fell back on humor and a dazzling grin in hopes of throwing Gibbs off the scent. “You don’t need to come in. I’ll just grab them really quick.”

“Need to get a carving knife and some wood from the basement. Your place needs a workbench.” Jethro grumbled.

“I can get those for you,” Tony said, perhaps a little too quickly.

“You gonna piss for me too?” Gibbs arched an eyebrow. “There some reason you don’t want me to come in my own house, DiNozzo?”

“Construction,” Tony blurted out, his mind searching for anything plausible. “There’s probably paint fumes and plaster dust and debris and things. Wouldn’t want you to trip or…something.” He was doing fine right up until that last bit but now he was pulling up to the curb and there was no more time to prepare an argument.

Jethro contemplated the younger man quietly for a moment. He knew Tony was up to something and guessed that whatever it was had to do with something in the house. It was obvious DiNozzo didn’t want him going inside and for some strange reason he was inclined to humor him. For now. “Okay,” he finally agreed, noticing that Tony was unable to meet his steady gaze fully.

“Be right back.” He flashed Gibbs a quick grin as he opened the door, fumbling with the keys so that Jethro didn’t see his hand shaking, and began to silently pray to whatever higher power had his back as he trotted up the sidewalk in long loping strides.

* * *

 

Gibbs watched Tony disappear into the house and sat back with a sigh. He really did have to pee again but decided he could wait until they got to DiNozzo’s apartment if need be. Smiling to himself, he realized that he took somewhat of a selfish delight in Tony’s childish glee. He certainly hoped that whatever the younger man was cooking up with Abby was something he could live with. There was a part of him that didn’t want to disappoint DiNozzo, which was willing to indulge almost anything to see the younger man’s face truly light up, and he wondered silently when that little piece of him had awakened again.

When Tony had not returned after five minutes, his curiosity was a bit more piqued. After ten, however, annoyance was beginning to supplant inquisitiveness and the pressure in his bladder was going from a mildly unpleasant twinge to something slightly more urgent. “What the hell are you up to, DiNozzo?” he asked no one in particular as he opened the door and hopped-as much as someone nearly 31 weeks pregnant could be said to hop-onto the curb to at least stretch his legs. The change in position made him somewhat more comfortable and he paced up and down the sidewalk for a few minutes to get the blood flowing back into his lower extremities.

Five minutes later there was still no sign of Tony and he’d had it. He headed for the house.

As Jethro pushed open the door, his investigative instincts took over immediately.

The house was too quiet.

It was three o’clock in the afternoon. If construction was behind, why wasn’t there a flurry of activity? True, he’d let Tony hire guys he knew to do the job, but he trusted Tony’s instincts and assumed he’d hired a responsible crew. Besides, the younger man knew what Jethro would do to him if he brought in someone that fucked up his house, cut corners, or tried to rip them off. And he’d met most of the guys himself anyway. In the two weeks they’d been working before the side trip to Stillwater, he’d never known them to cut out early, and the job had actually been ahead of schedule when he’d left.

And in that exact moment, he knew. In fact he realized he’d known since the very first moment he’d suspected Tony was up to something. Perhaps the part of him that wanted to indulge the younger man was more powerful than he gave it credit for. Shaking his head, he made a bee line for the stairs and slowly ascended into the anticipatory silence of the second floor.

At first glance, the upper level of his home looked much as he had left it. The doors, floors, walls, were all the same. But there was something, perhaps the way the air flowed through open spaces, perhaps just the smell of _newness_ that permeated everything, that told him he was entering a different space than he had left almost a week ago.

When he reached the closed door to the bedroom-something which was unusual in its own right recently-he hesitated with his hand on the knob, steeling himself for what he now knew to be behind it.

He wasn’t a man who accepted change well, he knew this about himself. Even with all the changes in his life, in his home, in his _body_ of late there was still a part of him which screamed in silent rebellion at each one, no matter how insignificant. An infinitesimal voice tucked into the back of his brain said that one more thing was just too much. Even though he was prepared for this change, had openly consented to it, he had to work hard now to silence that tiny voice.

With a death grip around the throats of his worst inner demons, Jethro took a deep breath and slowly clasped cold iron-something old he had insisted remain amidst the new-and twisted.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. The blinds were open and curtains drawn but with the angle of the sun there was less light than in the hallway.

He’d seen the room through Tony’s impassioned vision that first night, had seen it drawn up in sketches and plans on paper, but the reality of it was something else entirely.

It was clear Tony had taken pains to leave him some things that were familiar. The walls were a similar blue, only slightly brighter, and his furniture was back in the places it had been, perhaps to the millimeter. But even with these constants the space felt different, and as he turned, he was able to see that in fact, the overall dimensions of the room had changed a bit.

The bathroom wall had been moved further out and angled slightly. He could envision the space beyond and all of the new accoutrement Tony had talked him into. No light came from this darkened recess and although he eyed it longingly, it was the far more important addition of the baby’s room through the newly installed doors to his right that pulled at him insistently. The quiet dread which still crept up on him at odd moments now swept through him like a tide, and he had to force his feet to take one slow step forward at a time, to consciously raise his hand to push at the seam in the doors with enough pressure to force it open.

His breath caught.

Afternoon sun spilled through tall windows and spread warm light across everything it touched. It bounced happily off walls which had been freshly painted a delicate buttercup yellow, and settled on the dark, rich woods of the furniture he had had no hand in picking out.

This was all Tony.

DiNozzo hadn’t just finished the room, he had _finished_ it. 

Jethro was stunned, a feat not easily accomplished. Construction was one thing but this…this truly was a surprise, and one he had been wholly unprepared for. They had talked about ideas for what they would do with this space when it was finished, but it had only been idle chatter in bed on lazy mornings or over a beer on the porch in the warm evenings when he decided to indulge just a little. It was just talk.

Or so he’d thought.

There was no doubt that Tony’s hand had been on everything here. It was as if he’d signed his name on the room. The changing table and dresser were clearly handmade, something not easy to find these days, but Tony had known he’d accept nothing less. In truth, he would have preferred to make them himself but larger projects were tougher for him these days and they were running short of time. This was certainly the next best thing.

There was an elegance about the room, nothing chintzy or cheap. Clean lines, lack of clutter, everything in its place. Style, sophistication, grace. These were the qualities about Tony that didn’t show through on the surface but that defined him just as surely as his rakish sense of humor, and every one of them was present here.

Until now he’d stood at the threshold, trying desperately to take in the space as a whole, to even begin to recognize it as a part of the home he had known. But now his eyes lit on the focal point of the room and he slowly began to move toward it as if pulled by an unseen force.

The crib was framed by a fall of rich fabric which descended from a crown high up near the tall ceiling and matched the walls of the master bedroom to tie the two spaces together. Now that he was closer, he could pick out this same blue in some of the accents around the room as well. Perhaps Tony had missed a career opportunity in interior design.

Gibbs approached the crib that would become his new daughter’s bed with trepidation he couldn’t explain, held his breath without knowing why. His fingers slowly dipped in and caressed the smooth satin edging on a downy blanket which was already laid out in anticipation, turned back in hope.

His vision blurred as white hot pain stabbed behind his eyes and his heart clenched tight in his chest.

“We can change it if you don’t like it.” Tony’s voice came softly, nervously from the edge of the room.

Jethro kept his head down, didn’t-couldn’t-respond immediately. Slowly, carefully, he released the edge of the blanket he had inexplicably gripped tight in his fist and turned to face him.

“Why did you do this?” Jethro’s voice was thick, even to his own ears, but the question was genuine, not antagonistic. 

“I don’t…” Tony’s eyes went wide. He wasn’t certain what to make of this reaction and as Gibbs slowly moved toward him he did something he had done very seldom since the beginning of their relationship. He backed away.

“You heard me,” Jethro said flatly, still moving forward. “Why?”

Tony’s back was to the wall now, a position he wasn’t at all comfortable being in when he couldn’t read Jethro, but there was no other route now and Gibbs was closing. In all the possible scenarios he’d envisioned, he’d managed to leave this one out. “I wanted to do something for her,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “To give her something.” He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around whatever the hell was happening right now and gather his thoughts. “I needed to…to give you something, Jethro.” Stunned as he was, he found the strength to square his shoulders and look the older man in his slightly reddened eyes. “Because you’re giving me her and…maybe it was wrong of me and I’m sorry but this is all I have.” His own eyes were burning now, spilling over against his will and Gibbs hand slapped the walls on either side of his head, pinning him in place.

Jethro searched Tony’s eyes, and beneath the shock he saw the purity of the younger man’s intentions, felt the truth of his words in every part of him. Tony wasn’t trying to take over his life, wasn’t marking his territory. He was simply loving him and their child in the only way he knew how. “Damnit Tony,” he swiped gently at the tear on the younger man’s cheek with his thumb, watched the confusion rise in his eyes at the broken sound of his voice, “that’s a really fucking good answer.” Jethro’s mouth descended with purpose, meeting stupefied resistance which melted almost immediately into a pliant embrace of soft lips. He pressed their bodies together and by the time he was done, Tony was clutching desperately at his neck and sagging against him in apparent relief.

“So you’re not mad?” Tony ventured as he pressed his forehead to Jethro’s and continued to rub little circles on the back of his neck with his thumbs.

“No,” Gibbs said quietly. “Not mad.”

“Umm…what exactly are you then?” Tony was still uncertain of the man he was holding in his arms. There was still something unsettled in his tone, something he didn’t completely recognize.

Jethro thought about this. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Oh.” Tony’s hands dropped from Jethro’s body immediately, falling to his sides in a gesture of disappointment he was unable to conceal. “I’m sorry…I really didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t be,” Gibbs stopped him. “That room, Tony, it’s…it’s you.” He wasn’t sure how to explain where his head was at. “And I think it’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a damn thing. And I know you did it for me and for the baby but I think…I think it should be yours too.”

Tony’s head came up. “What?”

“Only if you want it to be,” Jethro went on with a bit more confidence. The thing that had felt wrong was coming more clearly into focus and he was pretty sure he knew just how to fix it. “Christ, Tony. I don’t want to play at this anymore. If we’re a family then that means this house belongs to you now as much as much as she belongs to you. As much as I do.”

“Okay. Can we just…” He pushed at Gibbs’ shoulders, suddenly feeling like he couldn’t breathe. “Jethro, are you asking what I think you’re asking?” Tony was pretty sure his head was about to spin all the way around.

“Move in.” Gibbs said firmly and without hesitation. “And not a drawer and a toothbrush and a space in the closet. Get rid of your apartment. Or sublet it or whatever, but just…move in. If this last week taught me anything at all it’s that I don’t want to go through a minute of this without you.”

“We said we’d talk about it first.” Tony wasn’t sure why he’d even said it, why he was even balking at the offer for a second. He knew it was what he wanted, had thrilled to hear the invitation come out of Jethro’s mouth, and yet the fear was still there. The fear that no matter how much he wanted to, this was something Gibbs just couldn’t give without strings attached.

“So let’s talk,” Jethro agreed. “But first I’m gonna hit the new head.” His mouth dipped down to Tony’s ear. “And then I’m gonna fuck you somewhere into the middle of next week on our new mattress,” he growled, nipping at Tony’s sensitive earlobe before dragging his teeth down the ropey tendon of the younger man’s neck.

“This might be a good time to tell you that Abby and Ducky are waiting in the basement to complete the surprise. They brought Chinese…oh _fuck.”_ Jethro’s hand popped the buttons of his fly in rapid succession and plunged in to grip his swiftly swelling cock.

“Then you can either use the next three minutes to tell them dinner will be delayed a bit or you can use it to figure out where in the hell they put the lube before I put my dick inside you and make you come so hard you can’t remember your own name.” Jethro released Tony with two quick strokes and departed for the bathroom without a glance back. He was pretty sure he knew exactly which option Tony would be taking.

 

* * *

 

“Is it safe? Do you think he liked it?” Abby whispered as she and Ducky emerged quietly from the darkness at the top of the basement stairs and crept into the kitchen.

“I haven’t heard him tearing down the walls yet Abigail, so I’d say that’s....” He paused as curious sounds began to drift down from the floor above.

It only took a moment to identify the soft but rapidly crescendoing baritone moans as Tony’s and when Jethro’s urgent groans and curses joined the chorus a few beats later the ME’s face turned the color of a ripe tomato.

“Oh my,” Ducky mumbled, pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing at his suddenly moist forehead. “Yes, I think it’s safe to say he liked it.” He couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face and when he looked at Abby she appeared more than a little…interested in what was going on above their heads. Perhaps _too_ interested. She had already started for the stairs with a mischievous grin before he caught her arm. “I don’t think so, Abigail,” he warned.

“Come _on_ Ducky!” she pleaded. “Aren’t you even the least bit curious?” Abby winked coquettishly at him.

“I can safely answer ‘no’ to that question, my dear. Now I think it best if we give them some time to…eh…enjoy themselves. I’m sure Jethro will thank us properly in the near future.” He pulled the younger woman toward the front door despite her continued protests.

“But what about the food?” she pouted.

“I think it’s safe to say they’re working up quite an appetite.” Indeed, after a momentary quiet, the impassioned sounds from above had resumed and increased in both volume and urgency. Ducky desperately wanted to be as far away as possible as quickly as possible. “I’ll take you anywhere you’d like.”

“Anywhere?” She paused and raised an eyebrow.

“Anywhere away from here.” Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her arm and resumed their retreat to the front door once more just as the unmistakable sound of furniture moving across the floor above their heads in a quick steady rhythm reached their ears. “Now.” Ducky finally managed to shove Abby out onto the porch.

“Good evening gentlemen.” The ME tipped his hat to the ceiling and fled.

* * *

 

Jethro nuzzled into the soft skin of Tony’s throat, flicked his tongue against the salty tang of sweat-dampened flesh. “It’s not all you have to give, you know,” he said gently.

“Hmm?” Tony’s brain was a million scattered pieces at the moment and bringing any two of them together to form a coherent thought took far too much effort.

“This.” Gibbs waved a heavy arm at the space around them. “You know you give me more than this without even realizing you’re giving it?”

“Sometimes I’m not sure,” Tony admitted. “I hope I am. I’ve never really tried before.”

“You are,” Jethro reassured him, pressing his body into DiNozzo’s again as he twined their fingers. “And you will for her too. I may not always be the best at telling you…”

“Okay.” Tony interrupted him suddenly.

“What?”

“Okay, I’ll move in.” He propped himself up on an elbow. “If you haven’t reconsidered.” Tony trailed a finger over Jethro’s clavicle.

“Haven’t reconsidered.” Gibbs confirmed. “What about talking?”

“Think we just did. Unless you have more you need to say?” Tony met Jethro’s eyes steadily.

“I’m good.”

“I’m good too.”

“Okay then.” Gibbs brushed the younger man’s lips gently.

“You know what tomorrow is?” Tony mumbled against Jethro’s mouth.

“Sunday.” Gibbs trailed a thumb along his jaw.

“It’s Father’s Day,” he said quietly as he placed his hand reverently on the swell of the other man’s stomach. “Happy Father’s Day, Jethro.”

Gibbs smiled, the feel of it bittersweet. “Happy Father’s Day, Tony.” He covered the younger man’s hand with his own and the two stayed like that for the space of a few gentle breaths.

 


	29. Facing

****

“You ready for this?” Jethro looked at the ceiling of the ascending elevator rather than at the hard set of Tony’s jaw.

“No.” DiNozzo let out the breath he’d been holding since somewhere in the parking garage in an explosive sigh. “But is there another choice?”  Their eyes had met only briefly since arriving one behind the other in the subterranean catacombs of the building, the moment that Gibbs had pushed the button that would carry them immediately to its highest level, passing right by the bullpen and their working relationship up to this point.

“If I thought there was…” Jethro left the sentence intentionally unfinished, knowing Tony understood. They’d spent the previous day and half the night discussing exactly what would be said, what their individual parts would be as they finally approached Morrow and made the irrevocable announcement that would surely change the lives they had grown accustomed to over the past few months and perhaps the course of both their careers.

“I know,” Tony said quietly, looking solemnly at Jethro. “Hey,” he said, waiting until the older man finally met his steady gaze. Gibbs’ eyes were heavy, resigned and yet still somewhat hopeful. “I know,” he said firmly making sure he understood.

Jethro nodded as the lift dinged its announcement of arrival at their destination and the doors slid open. With one last deep breath he and Tony exited side by side and walked without hesitation toward the Director’s office.

Tony nearly blew right past Jethro when he stopped unexpectedly at Morrow’s assistant’s desk.

“Need to see him,” Gibbs addressed her flatly. Her eyes went wide when she realize he was actually waiting for a response.

“I’ll check in with him. It’s early. I believe he has some time before his morning meeting over at the Pentagon,” she said somewhat incredulously. In all her years at NCIS she wasn’t sure Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs had actually waited to be announced more than a half dozen times, and each of those occasions had resulted in barely controlled explosions that shook the entire agency. This did not bode well. To top that off, Tony DiNozzo wasn’t smiling or even flirting, something she thought impossible from him. No, this was definitely not going to be a good day.

Pressing the button on her intercom and picking up the phone, she announced her visitor, trying her level best not to sound alarmed. “Agent Gibbs is waiting to see you, Director Morrow.”

Jethro could see the tiny tremor in the young woman’s hand, and the nervous smile she flashed him as she listened to Morrow’s response nearly made him laugh out loud at the utter ridiculousness of the entire situation.

“I did say waiting, Sir,” she confirmed. “Agent DiNozzo, sir.” She glanced up at Tony curiously. “I will, Sir.” A single resigned nod as she set the phone back in its cradle with tremendous care and precision. “You can both go in.” Why was there this feeling that she had just heralded the apocalypse?

Gibbs acknowledged her with a tip of his head, looked over at Tony and then walked resolutely toward the point of no return.

* * *

 

Tom Morrow stared stonily at the two men standing in front of his desk. A tiny headache had started right between his eyes at the news that Gibbs and DiNozzo were there to see him and it had rapidly begun to spread outward to his temples. After five days away, the appearance of the pair at 7am on a Monday morning could mean only one thing.

“Let me stop you before you start, Agent Gibbs,” he cautioned firmly, holding up a hand. But something about the men before him softened something inside him. Perhaps it was the slight angle of DiNozzo’s  body, shoulder behind Gibbs’, hip toward his desk, that spoke of protection and steadfastness. Perhaps it was the noticeable growth of the older man’s pregnancy-swollen abdomen or the way his hand cradled it gently, unconsciously. “Jethro,” Morrow continued more lightly, “you can’t take this back once you do it.”

Gibbs studied the Director, could tell that Morrow was approaching him now not as his boss, but as his colleague, his friend. “I know.”

Tony watched as the two locked eyes for a moment and something passed between them. A moment later those eyes turned on him, only slightly less soft.

“Agent DiNozzo, you understand the consequences of your actions right now? Understand that past this point I have an obligation to this agency, to the US Government, that I cannot- _will not_ ignore?”

“I do, Sir,” DiNozzo said firmly.

Morrow sighed and pressed his thumb to the pulsing artery just above the bridge of his nose. “Okay,” he sighed and pulled a file from a locked file in the bottom of his desk. It contained several forms and a notebook on the front page of which ‘Gibbs and DiNozzo: Plan B’ was clearly written in bold black letters. “It has come to my attention that the two of you were briefly involved in a sexual relationship prior to Agent DiNozzo’s hiring by this agency. I take Agent Gibbs’ word  that you were not romantically involved in any way when you were assigned to his team, nor were either of you aware that your union had resulted in Agent Gibbs’ pregnancy. In fact, he did not inform anyone of this knowledge until this moment.” He looked at both of them to emphasize the need to keep the story straight. “Here’s what will happen when you leave this office: For now and beginning immediately, Agent DiNozzo will report directly to me. You are officially no longer his direct supervisor.”

Gibbs opened his mouth to object but Morrow continued.

“Of course this will be considered highly unusual by the other Agents and that will be your issue to deal with. I trust you will handle it in your usual discreet fashion. I will choose his assignments until such time as I feel I have an appropriate opening on a team which will allow NCIS to reap the maximum benefit from his many skills. In addition to that, he will continue to work with you on all classified foreign operations and intel until such time as you eventually go on personal medical leave.” Now he left an opening for either man to speak up but when both simply looked at him as if anticipating a blow, he continued. “I assume you’ll also be asking for some leave around the time Agent Gibbs is due to deliver his child, Agent DiNozzo?”

“What? I mean yes, if I can,” Tony fumbled. Of course he had planned to ask eventually but it had seemed like they needed to get through this rather crucial step first, and he was sort of unprepared to be confronted with the question at this exact moment.

Morrow nodded. “One more reason to keep you floating for the moment.” He turned back to Gibbs. “I won’t show him favoritism, Jethro, but I think the work you’ve been doing together is valuable and of great benefit to the Agency. I’m not foolish enough to throw that away and I hope you’re not either. _Any_ sense of impropriety between the two of you on the job is going to look bad and _will_ result in termination of Agent DiNozzo and possibly yourself, Jethro. Do I make myself clear?” He moved on without allowing a response this time. “The spin on this will be completely up to you. I’ve taken the actions I need to take to remove Agent DiNozzo from your supervision, but you know as well as I do that it’s going to be a rough road when people find out _why_ it’s been done. If there’s too much dissention in the ranks or he’s not able to function effectively in his new capacity, I’ll have no choice but to terminate him or farm him out to another agency. Hell, if I wanted to make my life easier I’d reassign him to a satellite office somewhere starting tomorrow if I wasn’t certain he’d just quit.”

Tony wanted to object to being talked about like he wasn’t even in the room but Morrow hadn’t really said anything he could object to. Instead, he found himself rather in awe of his Director and new supervisor.  

“Today I want you with Pacci’s team, Agent DiNozzo. He’s running a 24 hour surveillance detail and he could use another body. I’ll brief him privately on the why’s and let him bring you up to speed on the Op. Gibbs, I’ve got a secure call coming into MTAC from Syria I want you in on.” He reached in his desk and tossed a file at Jethro. “Read this first. I think that will be all for now, gentlemen. Please try not to cause me anymore headaches, at least for the time being,” he said by way of dismissal.

“Sir, if you have just a minute,” Tony began, awkwardly swinging the backpack that he been trying to keep from slipping down his shoulder around to the front and fishing out the cold case files he’d been pouring over in his spare time in Stillwater.

“Please don’t tell me you have more bad news in that bag, Agent DiNozzo. My patience is just about worn thin already this morning.” His heavy eyes were a warning all in themselves.

“No…I don’t think so anyway. Agent Gibbs had me go over these files, Director. And I think I found a few things I’d like to follow up on. And since you’re my new supervisor I was just wondering…” He set the files on Morrow’s desk and the older man looked at them as if they gave off a vile stench.

Morrow sighed and shook his head. “What in the hell did I just get myself into?” he asked no one in particular. His head came up and he glared at Gibbs. “You gave him the files, you deal with them. I have to be at the Pentagon in a half hour and I don’t have time to play babysitter today.” He pulled his jacket from the back of his chair. “Don’t make me regret this decision, Jethro.” Morrow grabbed his briefcase and started for the door leaving them standing in the middle of his office.

“What in the hell just happened?” Tony asked, his head still spinning. All the rehearsal, all the planning, and in the end, they hadn’t had to say more than two words.

“He just gave us a gift,” Gibbs smiled. “And a damn generous one at that.”

“I’m still a little lost here. You’re gonna have to explain that.” At the very least he knew he was grateful to still have a job.

“The Director gave you an assignment, Probie. Go find Pacci. Let’s not fuck this up before he’s even out of the building.” Gibbs grabbed the files from the desk and moved to pull open the double doors that had shut behind Morrow. “See you at home tonight.”

* * *

 

The next three days were a hellish blur for Tony but it might just have been the best thing to happen to him. He pulled night shift duty on surveillance which meant 12 hours a day hopped up on caffeine fighting the urge to drift off while he listened in on comings and goings in the warehouse district of the Navy yard. There had been a series of meth overdoses in the enlisted population and Pacci’s team had tracked the drugs back here. Now their job was to try and figure out who the hell was letting them through and plug the hole up for good.

The gig wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that, predictably, news of DiNozzo’s reassignment and, more importantly, the reasons behind his reassignment, had circulated like wildfire through the entire NCIS building before lunchtime that first day. Oh sure, no one said anything _outright_ , they were still far too afraid of Gibbs’ retribution for that, but it was impossible to miss the snickers and whispers that followed him through the halls, the tables that cleared out mysteriously when he sat down in the cafeteria, or the sudden lack of invites to the bar at the end of his long shift. Not that he would have taken the guys up on them, but he was being not so subtly ostracized by those who had quickly befriended him and it sure as hell wasn’t any fun.

And so it was that his 12 hour shifts with Balboa turned into 12 hours of cold shoulder mixed with intermittent spurts of barely contained curiosity. Sometime on the third day, curiosity finally won out.

DiNozzo had just bitten into his still warm meatball sub when Balboa decided it was time for 21 questions.

“So…you and agent Gibbs…” the dark haired agent began somewhat hesitantly, “you knocked him up, right?”

Tony set the sub down slowly and wiped his mouth and hands with concentrated intent. His first instinct was to stonewall, but in the end he decided that the only way to get through this was to hit it head on. Balboa was his friend-had been his friend anyway-and ultimately, the guy felt betrayed. Tony knew he would have felt the same if the shoe were on the other foot. Of course that didn’t mean he had to make this easy. “Certainly seems that way.” He tried to keep his voice neutral.

“So how did that…happen, exactly?”

“You never took health class Balboa?”

“You know what I mean, DiNozzo. You guys were fucking?” There was really no reason to be delicate about it.

“We were and we are,” Tony said carefully. “What do you want to know?”

“What’s that like?” Balboa hedged.

“You never fucked anyone before? Maybe you better start there before you get involved in my sex life.” DiNozzo wrapped his sandwich back up regretfully. He was pretty sure this was gonna take awhile.

“Yeah, but its Gibbs. That’s gotta be…insane.” He managed to sound slightly awed.

“He’s just a man,” Tony shrugged. “In my defense, I hadn’t really seen the scarier sides of him when we did it the first time. He wasn’t my boss, he was just some Navy cop with a hot ass and pretty blue eyes working an undercover case on my beat. And there was just something…” He couldn’t keep the wistfulness out of his voice but quickly cleared his throat and moved on. “But it was over. Just that one time. We agreed to stop, to put the job first when I came to NCIS.” Now he felt like he was apologizing and maybe ultimately that’s what needed to happen. “Kid kind of came along as a surprise and changed things though,” Tony admitted.

“They do that.” Balboa sounded thoughtful. “So all that stuff with the women, all that flirting…that’s just show? And Gibbs is gay? Hasn’t the guy been married like, 10 times or something?” It was clear this was something he was completely unable to rap his mind around.

“No and no,” Tony objected. “And it was only 3 times.” That was the count Jethro owned to publicly and it wasn’t his place to out him about his first wife.  Neither did he feel the need to explain his sexuality or his choices. “Things aren’t always black and white, you know that. Sometimes it’s just about people and a whole hell of a lot of chemistry. Never had a relationship with a man before. Never expected to, and neither did he. But things happen.”

“Yeah, but you’re still fucking each other. I mean, I don’t get it.”

DiNozzo’s patience was beginning to wear thin and they still had another 6 hours of their shift to go. For better or for worse it was time to stop handling the whole thing with kid gloves. “Maybe if you tell me exactly which part of this thing is bothering you the most I can help you?” He tried to keep his voice level. “Is it the guy thing? The work thing? The Gibbs thing? You want details? Because I’ve got details, Balboa, lots and lots of details. But it’s not about the details for me. It’s about falling in love with the man who’s carrying my child. We didn’t want it, we didn’t plan it, and maybe it really is the craziest thing in the world to think two guys like us could make this work but it’s happening, it’s not going away, and neither one of us could pretend it wouldn’t affect our jobs any more. That if it really came down to it, we wouldn’t compromise a case if it meant protecting the other person. I guess I deserve people talking about me and whispering about me, but damn it, I have a fucking job to do and I put that first. And people are either gonna get over it or they aren’t, but I’m not going anywhere and neither is Gibbs so they’re damn sure gonna have to learn to live with it,” Tony finished forcefully, looking straight at Balboa as if daring him to object.  The other man’s eyes suddenly flew wide but they weren’t focused on him.

“Shit, I think it’s going down,” Balboa launched himself out of his chair toward the bank of video surveillance monitors and grabbed a set of headphones.

Tony was quick to follow. Indeed, from the look and sound of things, their elusive prey had finally come to call. Four men had gathered in the warehouse that had become the focus of their operation after an unscheduled shipment arrived there 2 days ago. “I’ve got movement on the target. Need backup right this second,” DiNozzo called into his mike. They had teams at the base on call but it would take them some time to get into place.

“Shit, this is gonna be over in five minutes,” Balboa stood and began strapping on his vest and gear. “It’s you and me, DiNozzo. You up for this?”

“You’re the senior Agent, I go where you lead.” He studied the monitors for a few minutes. “Looks like all four are armed but this guy’s in charge.” Tony pointed to a figure hanging back from the others just slightly. “If we go in from this side we get decent cover, element of surprise. And if we take him out first the others shouldn’t be an issue.”

Balboa paused in the act of checking his weapon and pocketing an extra clip to study him for just a minute. “Maybe I should be following you.” He was impressed by DiNozzo’a ability to read the scene so quickly and make a decision. “Maybe Gibbs made the right choice after all,” he said respectfully.

“Call ‘em like I see ‘em,” Tony did up the last Velcro strap on his vest. Whatever was passing between them right now, his mind was 100% immersed in the task at hand, focused with deadly precision on his goal now that he had one. The two radioed up so they could keep the arriving team apprised of their situation in case things didn’t go to plan and he followed the other man from the parked delivery van that had been their cover. He and Balboa made eye contact one last time and then began to move like fluid shadows toward the building that was their target.

Tony gave one passing thought to Jethro, safe and likely in bed at home and immediately pressed down the apprehension the image evoked, the fear of loss he had never had to face when putting his own life in danger. In that brief second he understood exactly how much his life had changed and the necessity of the decisions he and Gibbs had made.

“Go,” Balboa mouthed silently as they reached the side entrance for the warehouse.

Tony nodded a second before his foot met metal. “Federal Agents, don’t move,” he announced at the top of his lungs as he dove through the entrance and rolled for the cover he knew to be immediately to his right, hearing the zip and ping as a bullet flew over his head and embedded itself in the steel frame of the building.

* * *

 

It was over in less than a minute. Balboa took a shot and missed, drawing fire, and DiNozzo took out the man they had identified as the leader from his position behind a row of heavy crates before any of their targets had a chance to take cover. The man would survive but his knee was destroyed as well as his right hand which had held the weapon he’d fired at Tony. Thinking themselves surrounded, the others had thrown down their weapons without firing a shot and by the time the backup teams arrived all three were in cuffs.

Three hours of paperwork back at NCIS and Balboa approached him just as he was preparing to leave.

“Pretty damn good job out there tonight,” the other agent praised him sincerely. He looked down at the carpet for a few seconds before meeting Tony’s eyes again. “Couple of the guys and I are heading out to catch last call. Thought you might wanna join us?” he offered somewhat hesitantly.

In truth, Tony wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl in bed beside Gibbs, to fall asleep to the feel of warm skin beneath his hands and the sounds of the older man’s gentle snores, but an olive branch was an olive branch and he was a big enough man to know you didn’t swat it away when it was extended to you. “Could use a beer or two to wind down, I guess,” he said, trying not to sound _too_ eager.

“Good,” Balboa smiled genuinely. “Oh, and we could use you back on the court Saturday morning. New guy from tech is a friggin’ baller. If anybody can keep him away from the net it’s you, DiNozzo.”

And just like that it was over. For the most part anyway. A few guys still looked at him sideways, gave him a wider berth in the locker room or at the gym, but generally he was back in the fold. What really mattered was that he was a good man to have at their backs and it didn’t really matter who’s backside he was on outside the job.

* * *

 

Three or four hours later, after they’d closed down the bar and then hit Balboa’s apartment for a few shots and a game of pool, a cab dropped a very pleasantly buzzed Tony DiNozzo at the curb in front of Gibbs’ house. His house now. He needed to start thinking of the place that way, but it wasn’t an easy transition. Especially right now when his thoughts were more than a little muzzy.

Entering the house as quietly as possible, Tony toed off his shoes, managed to lose his balance only once in the process, and crept slowly upstairs. When he pushed open the door to the bedroom he was surprised to find Jethro sitting up in bed with a book spread out on his lap. He hadn’t noticed the light from outside but he quickly remembered that the heavy curtains were drawn so that he could sleep in in the mornings. “Hope you didn’t stay up for me.” Guilt stabbed at him through his buzzing head.

“Nope.” He patted his belly. “She’s been up rolling around for an hour. Think she knows when you’re not here. You’re home early.” Gibbs cocked an eyebrow at him in question.

 Tony began to step out of his pants and took an awkward lurch to the side, catching himself on the dresser. “We got the bad guys.” He grinned.

“You drunk?” Jethro asked, though the question was basically rhetorical at this point.

“Pshhh,” he waved off the accusation. “Okay, maybe a little.” Tony crawled up the bed as Gibbs set his book aside. “The guys took me out.”

“I’m glad.” Tony had tried to pretend that the whispers and cold shoulder treatment he had been getting from the other agents wasn’t bothering him but Jethro knew better. Tony was a frat boy, used to being part of the in-crowd, and Gibbs knew how much it hurt him to be on the outside even for a few days. He ran his fingers gently through the younger man’s hair as Tony curled up next to his stomach and began to rub it affectionately.

“What’s the matter in there, little girl? You miss your daddy? Why don’t you let him get some sleep now that I’m home.” Tony pushed up the light t-shirt Gibbs wore and kissed the bit of exposed skin gently.

“She’s go the hiccups. Again. Been at it for the last twenty minutes this time. ” Gibbs complained lightly. She was big enough now that there was no sleeping through these little bouts, and the not so little fetus in his belly was restless in seeming irritation at the rapid-fire spasms that made his skin bounce rhythmically where she pressed against it.

“Poor kid.” Tony stroked the swollen mound of Jethro’s belly, still awed by the alien-like movements beneath the surface.

“Poor kid?” Gibbs objected. “Poor me. It’s like Chinese water torture in there.”

“You drunk in Daddy’s tummy like your old man?” Tony hiccupped repeatedly in imitation of the strong and rhythmic hitch-jerk motion he felt beneath Jethro’s skin and earned a playful swat from Gibbs.

“Go brush your teeth and get back in bed and kiss me. I can smell the bourbon from here.” In truth he desperately missed the taste but it was one of two things that were still guaranteed to make him nauseous.

“On it, Boss.” Tony made a fairly straight line to the bathroom and took care of business. By the time he came back, however, Jethro had curled up on his side and flipped the light off already.

“Hiccups stopped,” Gibbs muttered around a yawn as Tony crawled in behind him.

“Mmm....” Tony whined a little disappointedly as he draped an arm over Jethro and nuzzled into his neck.

“Sorry. Gotta sleep while I can,” he apologized. “But don’t be surprised if I wake you up in a few hours.” He pressed back against the reassuring warmth of Tony’s chest and rolled his bottom against the hint of erection he could feel against his hip.

“Deal.” Tony nosed at the older man’s earlobe.

Gibbs was quiet for a few seconds. “Missed you,” he grunted grudgingly, still unaccustomed to the feeling.

Tony tightened his grip on Jethro’s shoulders in acknowledgement. “You are the best thing to ever happen to my life, Jethro Gibbs,” he murmured when he was almost certain the older man was on the very edge of sleep.

 


	30. Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this chapter is pretty much smut. I should have noted earlier that as I was originally writing this fic, I got many many private messages from readers requesting certain tidbits. Early on, one reader proposed this scene and I saved it until close to the end. I ALMOST left it out of this reposting as it is slightly different in tone than the surrounding chapters but it does have some great parts about Gibbs dealing with unique discomforts of advanced male pregnancy. Also, it's hot. But if you're not so much with the smut, you could actually skip it and not miss much. 
> 
> Also, I'm going to do my very best to finish uploading this in it's entirety this weekend. I may even write a shiny new epilogue for it as I have been toying with the idea of a follow up fic.

****

**34 weeks**

The feel of the wood beneath his hands was soothing. The solidity of it, the smooth grain against his fingertips as he searched for any rough patches, brought his thoughts into focus, brought his shoulders down a few inches.

He’d been an asshole.

It was his fault and he knew it. He’d intentionally provoked a fight with Tony as the younger man was walking out the door after getting called in on a Saturday afternoon. He’d let DiNozzo leave with harsh words ringing in his ears, something he had promised himself he would never do. He knew the distraction an argument could cause, knew first hand that it was dangerous to go into the field with your mind anywhere but fully engaged, but he had done it anyway.

And the truth of it was he’d done it for no other reason than his own petty jealously and frustration. Day after day he sat behind a desk or watched from behind the scenes of MTAC as other teams took the lead, brought down the scum of the earth. Jethro could smell the grit and the stink of it, could feel cold steel beneath his fingers and taste the acrid tang of gunpowder on his tongue but there was no satisfaction in it, no thrill like actually being _part_ of it. Tony was in the center of everything, proving himself, making the collars and, god help him, he resented it more than just a little and it was damn frustrating.

Almost as frustrating as the fact that, with their separate assignments, DiNozzo was often working odd hours as the Probie agent, taking the worst shifts, working late on paperwork, and their sex life had definitely suffered over the last couple of weeks. He knew the largest part of the issue was his. Tony was willing but Gibbs knew he was tired, hated to wake him up for morning sex or keep him up longer than necessary when he finally did make it home.

His body wasn’t helping things. He felt like a damned planet on most days. The baby had settled into a deeper position in his pelvis, almost standing on her head with her butt toward his navel which made his belly look like an oblong watermelon. This new position threw his center of gravity off, made him feel clumsy and huge, and sent stabbing pains down his back as his spine tried to curve and balance the weight out in front of him. But the worst part was sitting. Not only was getting up something he needed to plan in advance now, give himself a few minutes to accomplish if Tony wasn’t around to lend a hand, but the baby’s head squashed his insides in all the wrong places and pushed parts of him uncomfortably against other parts of him.

The end result was that whenever he sat, there was now pressure directly on his prostate. Sometimes it was maddeningly light, sometimes shockingly firm but it was always there, had been for the better part of a week and a half, and the constant stimulation caused the little organ to swell and engorge with fluid throughout the day making matters even worse. Gibbs was thankful that his belly overshadowed his dick, else he would have been mortified by the erection that barely seemed to fully wane any more.

This was part of what had contributed to their fight this morning. It was stupid, really. He knew that. But he was tired, uncomfortable, frustrated, and horny, a dangerous combination even when he wasn’t closing in fast on nine months pregnant and a near deadly one now that he was.

They’d just been warming up atop the sheets when Tony’s cell went off, a call Gibbs knew he couldn’t ignore. The younger man had disengaged regretfully, kept stroking his cock hopefully until it was clear that whoever was on the other end was going to put an abrupt halt to their afternoon delight, and then looked down on him with both guilt and pity as he rose to get dressed.

It was the pity that pissed him off.

And then Tony had done something unexpected, had reached into a drawer and pulled out a short curved dildo with a wide base that flattened into suction cup and had a red ribbon tied around it.

_“Got this for you the other day,” he’d offered it sheepishly. “Thought it might help for those times when I can’t…you know, be here to do it myself.”_

Jethro’s temper flared even at the memory of it and his plane bit just a little too deep into the wood he was working. The thought that Tony had purposefully gone out to buy him something to get off with… _fuck_ …his body wasn’t a damn charity case.

The baby chose that moment to remind him that she didn’t like it when his heart rate went up. She stretched herself out, pushing painfully against tight muscle and did a big roll before settling right back into her new favorite spot. His next groan wasn’t for the pain in his abdomen but for the pleasure pain created when she shifted again, head butted him a little lower than normal sending an urgent signal to his cock that the pressure inside him was too great, that he needed to spin the release valve a little.

Dropping the plane onto the workbench, he gripped its edges, rocked his hips back and forth to try to get her to rest somewhere-anywhere-else, but the movement only made things worse.

He could jack off. It would make things a little better but it was only a very temporary relief. He needed the deep stimulation of Tony’s cock, his fingers, _anything_ against his prostate. He could wait for DiNozzo to get home but that could mean hours of discomfort. Hell, he’d do it himself if his stomach hadn’t gotten too big for him to reach around anymore.

Jethro hated feeling this way, hated being a slave to his body, especially in this particular way, but there was no escaping it this time. It had been over four days since he and Tony had fucked, a near record for them since the early days of their relationship. Christ he needed _something._

Gibbs’ mind lit on the dildo that had been hastily tucked away in a drawer, the one he had chastised DiNozzo for buying in the first place. It wasn’t that he had an objection to the toy in general, in fact the thought of Tony using it on him or vice versa was an incredibly pleasant one. But he couldn’t get it out of his head that this was a pity dildo. A mechanical dick bought to appease his insatiable needs and not something for mutual enjoyment.

But damn it sounded good right now.

Feeling like a total hypocrite but not really caring at the moment, Jethro made his way up to the bedroom as quickly as he could, a few hours of blessed relief the only thing on his mind. It pissed him off that he actually had to pause and catch his breath a little between flights now. “You’re killin’ me kid,” he rubbed his belly as he panted in the entry to the bedroom.

He didn’t hesitate as he made his way to the drawer where DiNozzo had stashed the toy after Jethro had lobbed it at him from across the room in his anger. Tony had just stood there staring at him open-mouthed, not understanding exactly what it was he had done to cause offense. Gibbs felt a momentary stab of guilt as he removed it and untied the ribbon from around its base.

Jethro contemplated the dildo for just a second. It had a thick base but tapered quickly to a curved end which was clearly intended to give him exactly what he needed right now. It felt weighty in his hand and he knew it was quality, not something Tony had picked up at a novelty store. It wasn’t his first sex toy. He’d spent a few years alone and his infrequent enjoyment of a good deep dicking wasn’t exactly something he had ever brought up to any of his ex-wives. A man had needs.

He looked around for a good surface to attach it to. The mattress was too soft. He could use his hand but again, he would nearly have to put his shoulder out of joint just to reach. The shower or bathtub was a possibility, probably the easiest to clean up afterwards but the logistics were a little sketchy with his balance. His eyes finally settled on the solid wood of the headboard of their new bed. It was certainly sturdy enough.

Shedding his clothes without delay, Gibbs climbed laboriously up onto the bed on hands and knees, sighing as the position eased his discomfort a little, forced the baby to shift. He licked the bottom of the suction cup, estimated a good height before planting it firmly and then fished the lube out of the bedside drawer, applying it liberally over the smooth surface of the toy.

Jethro couldn’t bother to stretch himself, couldn’t reach if he’d wanted to, and promptly turned his bottom to the dildo which stuck out like a dirty party favor from the head of the bed. It took a minute to line himself up properly but he was soon fisting his hands in the sheets, curling his toes as he pushed himself back onto it, and moaning wantonly as it forced him open, hit him _right_ where he desperately needed it. The sensation was like the relief of finally scratching that persistent itch that is _impossible_ to reach, only amplified a hundred fold. He was so lost that he didn’t even hear the door open and close, mistook the sound of Tony’s feet pounding up the stairs for the rush of blood in his ears.

* * *

 

Tony opened the door tentatively. He and Jethro had left on bad terms that afternoon, the first time that had happened since they’d been together, and he wasn’t exactly sure what he would be walking back into. Wasn’t sure whether he’d find the things he had so recently moved in, neatly packed and waiting for him to remove from the premises.

Thankfully the call had been a relatively short one. His team was providing backup to a standoff stemming from a domestic dispute on base at Quantico but the shooter had surrendered before they’d even arrived on scene. He always regretted missing out on the action but his head really wasn’t in the game today and their lack of contact meant a lack of paperwork to complete which always made for a good ending.

There was no immediate sound to alert him to the other man’s location and he was about to call out for Jethro when he heard the long, drawn out moan from the floor above him. He knew that sound well, would recognize the vocalized ecstasy of Gibbs in the throes anywhere, and the deep timbre of it, the pure, unabashed neediness of it had his cock swelling uncomfortably as he immediately took the stairs two at a time.

Tony was pretty sure he would never forget the sight that greeted him as he rounded the corner, was quite certain that the image would be forever seared into his brain. Jethro’s fisted hands tore at the sheets, had pulled them halfway up the bed already as he propelled himself back and forth against the headboard. Knees spread wide, ass in the air, slapping against the slick wood with every stroke, the older man’s flat back and shoulders glistened with sweat. The muscles in his upper body bunched and flexed, writhed beneath his skin as he panted and moaned in ecstasy.

 _“Fuck!”_ The exhalation was a little louder than Tony’d intended, his fingers curling around the wood trim of the door, nails biting into the surface painfully as his dick convulsed with heat and blood forced down from his now rapidly pounding heart.

Gibbs’ head shot up immediately.

He didn’t stop.

 His eyes met Tony’s, glassy and desperate but, _Jesus,_ he didn’t stop. Jethro’s gaze was locked on him now, focused and intent as he strove for release. There was so much heat there, so much raw and intense desire that he was immediately caught up in it, poised on the edge as much as he would be if it was his dick Gibbs was driving himself onto faster and harder with each pass.

Tony’s fingers fumbled his belt open, worked the buttons of his fly in record time and pushed until his pants settled around trembling knees. He fisted his cock, didn’t take his eyes off Jethro for one second as he began to stroke fast and sure toward, what would most certainly be, a quick and powerful release.

Gibbs’ shoulders dipped and now he was on his elbows, reaching a hand beneath the big baby belly that rested atop the mattress between his hips to grab desperately for his cock. Each slap of skin, each rhythmic grunting moan from the older man brought Tony closer and when Gibbs’ brows knit together, eyes went wide, body went rigid, he was right there with him, shooting half the distance between himself and the bed in an explosive orgasm that made little sparks dance behind his eyes for the first few convulsions. Cum dripped between his fingers as he milked himself through it, spattered in thick drops on the floor at his feet, on the jeans that were still only half off.

As he came down, Tony sagged against the door frame a little, became aware again of Jethro’s diminished moans. Tony moved toward the bed. Gibbs’ head rested on his forearms and he was still impaled on the dildo which Tony could now see connecting him to the hard wood of the headboard. The older man continued to rock against the toy, more gently now, but his rhythm was only slightly diminished.

“Gibbs,” Tony said gently as he eased himself onto the mattress, moving slowly, uncertainly closer.

“Mmm…” Jethro moaned, his voice still a little too tight, a little too needy. He raised his head as Tony’s hand grazed the sweat slicked skin of his back and his breathing began to pick back up.

“You okay? That was the fucking sexiest thing I have ever…tell me what you need, Jethro,” he offered, sensing that things weren’t done for the older man just yet. This wasn’t how Gibbs usually came down after, what appeared to be, a particularly intense orgasm. Tony could feel that his muscles were still tight, could see that his cock was still curled hard beneath the swell of his belly which dripped with the aftermath of his release.

“Need to come again…too much….” Jethro pushed himself back onto his forearms and resumed his more determined thrusts against the dildo embedded in his ass.

Tony watched for half a second, both enraptured and bewildered. He’d never seen Gibbs like this, so utterly desperate for relief, and he felt both guilt and arousal in equal measure despite the fact that there was no way he could keep up with the older man’s ardor.

His hands stroked Jethro’s skin, rubbed the sides of his sensitive stomach. “Pull off and let me help,” he encouraged as Gibbs’ jaw began to tighten in obvious frustration.

Jethro paused, still swiveling his hips back and forth and raised his head to nod, near moaning as he pulled off the dildo and scooted down the bed on his knees.

Helping Gibbs onto his side, Tony quickly moved between his thighs.

“You don’t have to. I know I was a shit to you earlier, I just…”

“Look at my cock, Jethro.” Tony palmed his slowly re-engorging dick. “I just shot buckets all over our bedroom floor and I’m starting to get hard again just watching you. You think I don’t get how much this sucks for you? You think I don’t want to? Fuck you, Gibbs.” His hand shot unceremoniously beneath the older man’s balls, fingers seeking out his already stretched hole and sinking in without preamble. Jethro was so tight inside, so impossibly hot and firm and it took him no time to center in on the rounded swelling of his prostate and curl against it. He could feel how swollen it still was, how uncomfortably full it must feel to the other man and as Gibbs cried out and clawed at the sheets.

Tony bent forward, resting his weight on his elbow as he licked at Jethro’s cum covered cock, closed his lips around the pulsing velvet head and suckled the leftover deliciousness from his hole. His fingers picked up the rhythm Gibbs had set a moment ago and his mouth matched it, quickly bringing him right back to the brink.

“So good,” Jethro panted. “So fucking good…oh shit don’t…don’t…oh fu… _fuck…”_ The consonant was drawn out as overwhelming sensation exploded between his hips.

Tony felt the warning tremors against his lips and around his fingers, moved his hand off Gibbs cock and onto his belly as the salty tang of Jethro’s cum flooded his mouth. He focused on the rhythm of the convulsions, let his fingers work with them to press hard against Gibbs’ prostate and empty it as much as possible. He swallowed and swallowed and still Jethro’s cock kept pouring between his lips. Fingers fisted in his hair, pulled him off as Gibbs became too sensitive even as fluid continued to leak from his hole. Withdrawing his fingers carefully, he wiped them on the sheets which would already need to be changed before they went to sleep. Tony lay on his side, propped up on an elbow waiting for Gibbs to come back to himself as he gently brushed the sweat dampened hair from the older man’s forehead.

Eventually Jethro’s breathing quieted and a leaden arm reached out to drape across Tony’s hip. “This mean I’m forgiven?” DiNozzo ventured quietly.

Gibbs’ eyes fluttered open. “I was an ass. I know you were trying to help. Turns out you did.” He gave a lazy sated smile, the first Tony had seen in days.

“I’m sorry for all of it, Jethro. Can’t imagine how hard it is to be a full time baby incubator for you of all people,” Tony said with genuine sympathy as he traced his fingers lightly over the tight skin of Jethro’s belly causing the older man to shudder. “But me wanting you isn’t about sympathy. Not now, not ever. I hope you get that.”

“I do get it. He brought a hand to Tony’s face.” As for this,” he rubbed the mountain of his stomach. ”I’ll live. It’s only a few more weeks.” Shifting, he pushed himself up to assess the damage and actually laughed out loud at the state of their bed.

“Guess we need to change the sheets. Maybe the pillows too.” Tony toed at one particularly damp looking spot.

“And maybe mop the floor?” Gibbs looked over the edge of the bed to where long streaks and tiny puddles of cum were quickly drying.

“On it.” DiNozzo stretched languorously as he rose. “Suppose I should do something about that too, huh?” he pointed to the dildo which still jutted proudly from the headboard.

“I don’t know. Kinda like it there.” His mouth quirked in a half smile.

“Certainly gives the bed more character.” Tony swept a finger over the head of it and it bobbed up and down obscenely.

“Gonna go hose off.” Jethro used the edge of a sheet to wipe his messed stomach.

“Good idea,” Tony grinned. “Hey Gibbs?” he called as Jethro disappeared into the bathroom.

“Yeah?” The older man said over the sound of running water.

“Let’s not fight again, okay?” He gathered up the sheets and stripped the pillow cases.

“Where’s the fun in that, DiNozzo?”


	31. Conspiring

**36 Weeks**

When Gibbs reached his ninth month, he was decidedly done with being pregnant. Between increasingly frequent medical appointments with Reed, weekly meetings with Darren, who continued to coach them on preparing for the big day and positions and techniques for supported labor, and the sheer amount of _stuff_ there was to gather in order to keep one small infant alive and comfortable, his days seemed filled with few things un-baby related.

If it wasn’t for Tony’s continued enthusiasm for the process, Jethro knew he would have been a far less pleasant person to deal with. As it was, even Abby wasn’t safe from his foul temper at the end of a long day of backaches, leg cramps, heartburn, contractions, and kicks so strong he swore he was sporting at least a few bruised ribs.  And if one more person remarked on how big he was getting or how he looked like he could deliver any day now, they were likely to find themselves facing the business end of his weapon.

Gibbs had planned from the beginning to work right up until the last possible moment, not believing that something as inane and commonplace as pregnancy would get the better of him. He was beginning to rethink that plan. In fact, the only two things that were keeping him at work now were his belief that Tony still needed the benefit of his tutelage and tough love in the bullpen, and his knowledge that being busy and miserable was far better than being bored and miserable. He might be exhausted but at least there was still enough distraction in his daily activities to keep him from watching the calendar and hoping with everything he had that his kid had inherited his belief in the advantage of showing up earlier than people expected you to.

 His last ultrasound had shown that the baby in his belly was now essentially fully developed, more than capable of breathing on her own out in the cruel world, and fattening up daily. In his mind, that meant it was about time to begin the eviction process. Reed had only laughed and assured him that all babies had their own agendas and that he would have to wait until she was good and ready to come out.

Today was one of those days where he was well and truly ready to pack it in.

Of course today had been odd for many reasons.

The bullpen was abnormally quiet for a Friday afternoon for starters. Oh sure, people were serious about their jobs and a quarter of those in the building would work the weekend anyway, but there was just something about a Friday that brought out a relaxed jocularity even among a group of people who risked their lives on a fairly regular basis. Today seemed to be an exception.

There weren’t any major cases on the books at present. As always, there were a slew of more minor incidents under investigation but nothing that would pull more than half the teams out into the field under normal circumstances. Yet for some reason the main floors seemed to be almost abandoned. Those who were at their desks seemed to be unusually focused and on task. Or at least they were making a really good show of it.

Tony had been assigned to work with him all day which was something almost unheard of since the change in their supervisory relationship had been made. Generally the younger man worked with him intermittently as time allowed but was pulled away for field or grunt work as things came up. Today they had almost been pushed together, called as a team up to MTAC more times than he could count for video conferences that mysteriously couldn’t be brought on line due to technical difficulties or communications that hardly seemed to warrant the trip.

His co-workers also seemed to be avoiding him even more than normal today. Of course, word had spread that anyone approaching his desk with something non-essential was likely to get his or her head soundly bitten off, but when he added it all up there was clearly something else at work here and it didn’t take a honed investigator to notice.

When Ducky requested his and Tony’s presence in autopsy with a flimsy excuse related to something DiNozzo had been looking into in the cold case files, Gibbs immediately knew that whatever was brewing was about to be brought to a head. He had his suspicions but wasn’t ready to start pointing fingers just yet.  Except maybe one.

“Okay, what the hell is going on?” He pushed himself up from behind his desk with a bit of difficulty and glared at Tony accusingly.

Tony shook his head. “Got me, Boss.” He still often slipped into the familiar form of address when they worked together and it had become a form of endearment to him on its own. He’d sensed something off all day as well and was happy not to be the only one even if it didn’t bode well for them.

 As he watched Gibbs stand and stretch his aching back with a wince, Tony felt the familiar stab of guilt at the older man’s obvious discomfort. Still, he couldn’t hold back the goofy half smile that bloomed as it always did at the sight of Jethro’s ponderous belly moving towards him.

“What?” Gibbs snapped as he stopped in front of Tony’s desk.

Tony just grinned and risked a quick wink at the older man to let him know exactly what was on his mind.

Jethro rolled his eyes, refusing to admit his astonishment or his deeper sense of flattery that the younger man was still interested now that he was as big as a house.

They entered the elevator without another word and to Jethro’s surprise it was Tony who reached over and hit the stop button a few seconds into their descent.

“Turn around,” Tony said quietly, motioning for Gibbs to face the wall.

“Christ, DiNozzo, you know the rules,” Jethro growled, somewhat surprised that the younger man would even make a passing attempt at in-office seduction after all these months, no matter how horny he was.

Tony smiled and rolled his eyes. “Not trying to get into your pants. Well, at least not right now. Just humor me.”

With a last side-eye at Tony, Jethro did as requested, turning toward the steel wall and curling his fingers around the railing. A moment later he groaned in pleasure as firm and knowing hands began to expertly knead the knots from his lower back.

“Looked like you needed it,” Tony said as his fingers dug deep into tight muscle that had been stretched and strained beyond its limits. Gibbs was making all manner of pleasurable noises and he had to focus on his task to keep his cock in check.

Jethro sagged against the cool support of the elevator wall, feeling relief even from these few short but blissful moments of massage.

“You know they’re planning something, right?” Tony ventured as his hands slowly fanned out to the sides of Jethro’s belly where it melded with his hips, palms flat against the firm mound as he rubbed small circles with just the right amount of pressure.

“Yup,” Gibbs responded with a sigh. His whole body was beginning to loosen up for the first time all day and more than anything he just wanted to stay right where he was for the foreseeable future.

“We could just leave, you know? Head right to the parking garage? No awkward moments?” It wasn’t really what he wanted but he knew Jethro had strong objections to these sorts of things.

“We could.” Gibbs had thought the same thing when he’d begun to put the pieces together earlier.

“Would kind of be disappointing, I suppose,” Tony ventured. “For them, I mean.”

Jethro turned around in the space of the younger man’s arms. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint them.” He looked at Tony steadily. “Not after everything they’ve been through.” His hand snaked up into Tony’s hair and he kissed him lingeringly on the mouth, something he had never done at work, even when they were assuredly alone.

“So…we should probably get going then.” He pulled away just enough to murmur against Jethro’s lips. “If we’re gonna go that is.” He was doing his best to think about anything other than how good the older man’s mouth tasted, especially here where it was forbidden fruit.

“Probably should,” Gibbs agreed, fingers tightening on the back of the younger man’s neck as his tongue darted out to trace the delicious curve of his lower lip.

Tony allowed himself to sink into the kiss just a little more, still holding back and trying to reign in his natural response.

Jethro finally released the younger man reluctantly, enjoying the flustered look on Tony’s face as DiNozzo raked a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

“There’s probably cake.” Tony looked at Gibbs hopefully, knowing Jethro was still reluctant.

Jethro reached out and pushed the button to resume their descent, smiling as Tony tried to artfully arrange his clothing to conceal the undeniable bulge in his khakis. “There damn well better be cake.”

* * *

 

“Who in the hells bright idea was this?” Gibbs schooled his features to maintain a look of disapproval as he and Tony entered autopsy to a chorus of ‘surprise’s from their co-workers. The entire autopsy lab had been strung with delicate streamers and bright “It’s a girl” banners. Helium balloons with little pictures of babies on them floated in bunches around the corners of the room and in the center of one of the tables sat the tiniest little NCIS onesie and ball cap he had ever seen.

“That would be mine.”

Jethro was genuinely surprised as Tom Morrow stepped from behind a group of agents and came to greet them.

“Not often we get a new baby at NCIS. Certainly not one with such prestigious bloodlines as this one will have. I thought that was something that deserved a genuine celebration.” The NCIS Director looked at Gibbs steadily and held out his hand which was firmly clasped immediately. “Congratulations, Agent Gibbs,” he said sincerely.

“Thank you, Sir.” Jethro was genuinely impressed by Morrow’s efforts. While The Director had supported him in some very important ways behind the scenes during his pregnancy, he had never expected something so public from the often stoic and genuinely all-business older man.

Morrow nodded. “And congratulations to you as well, Agent DiNozzo,” he said, turning to Tony. “I certainly hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“I’m learning, Sir.” He grinned and stepped up behind Jethro, resting just his fingertips at the base of the other man’s spine in a bold gesture. “Thank you for going to all the trouble, Director.”

“Oh, I had a number of co-conspirators, to be sure. Dr. Mallard and Ms. Scuito did most of the work.” He gestured to the far side of the room.

Jethro saw Abby and Ducky lurking rather guiltily in the far corner next to a towering pile of presents wrapped in muted pastels and shiny ribbon. “I’ll be sure to thank them,” he grunted. “There’s cake?”

“I beg your pardon?” Morrow seemed confused by his sudden change of direction.

“Cake?” Gibbs looked at the older man pointedly. “I hear it’s traditional at these sorts of things.”

“Well yes, I believe they do have a cake waiting, but…”

“Let’s get to it, then,” Jethro interrupted.

“I’ve learned that it’s not really a good idea to keep him waiting when it comes to food,” Tony leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to Morrow as he dodged the slap to the back of his head from Gibbs.

 “Dr. Mallard, I believe we’re ready for the cake,” The Director called across the room.

“What?” Ducky appeared startled to hear his name. “Oh…of course, just let me…” He pulled open one of the drawers in the refrigerator normally reserved for cadavers.  “Here we are,” the ME said as he produced a large and fancy looking sheet cake with a flourish and shoved through the gathered crowd to rest it on one of the covered examination tables.

Tony and Jethro made their way to the display. Gibbs glanced over at the younger man who was gaping in genuine awe at the elaborately decorated confection which was stenciled in flowing pink letters with the words, ‘Welcome, Baby DiNozzo-Gibbs’. “Don’t even think about it,” he murmured harshly to Tony when he saw the tell-tale softening around the younger man’s eyes, knowing he couldn’t survive even a sniffle from Tony at this point without succumbing himself.

“No problem, Boss. Just a little something in my eye.” Tony swallowed around the burning in his throat.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Thank you,” Jethro addressed the group around him. He picked out a few people who were clearly here under the duress of peer pressure, but most seemed genuinely happy to have the chance to wish them well. “Means a lot to all of us,” he said simply, resting a hand on his stomach to speak for his unborn child as well as Tony. A swell of applause greeted his expectedly short speech.

The next half hour was a blur. Thankfully, people still had jobs to do so they ate cake, offered their congratulations in varying forms to the pair, and then went on their way. Both Jethro and Tony were immensely grateful that they were spared the special torture of opening gifts one by one in front of most of their NCIS colleagues simply by virtue of the time allotted to this little diversion.

Eventually the crowd thinned out and Gibbs caught Abby just as she was trying to sneak away. “Pretty smart idea, involving the Director,” he said casually as he blocked her path to the exit by leaning against one of the long, steel tables and folding his arms atop his stomach.

Her eyes grew wide for just a moment before hardening resolutely. “And let this be a lesson to you, Gibbs. You may be this baby’s father but you will _not_ , under any circumstances, interfere with my duties and responsibilities as her soon-to-be favorite aunt,” she said firmly, advancing on Jethro now.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Abbs,” Gibbs said softly, opening his arms to the younger woman who stepped hesitantly into the embrace, obviously still waiting for the explosion she had expected. He had to stretch to reach her cheek with their near-equal heights and the interference of his protruding belly. “Thank you,” he whispered against her ear as his lips brushed smooth skin. “You’re already my favorite.”

* * *

 

Feet up on the ottoman, Jethro watched Tony tear into the last of the shower gifts. Already surrounded by the flotsam and jetsam of so much wrapping paper and ribbon, the younger man looked like a child on Christmas morning. They’d opened a few gifts together but Jethro was enjoying the opportunity to observe much more.

“Wow.” Tony held up a tiny yellow sundress and matching socks that fit on the tips of his fingers. “I can’t believe she’s gonna fit in all of this. It looks like so small and…and tiny.”

“Hey, as long as she’s healthy, I’ll take small.” Jethro shifted uncomfortably at the thought. Even though Reed assured him that the baby was of average size, his anxiety about having to push her out of his body grew in relation to his expanding belly.

Tony smiled sympathetically. They’d been avoiding talking about some of the more practical parts of the upcoming delivery but he knew Jethro was more nervous than he let on. “Where are we gonna put all of this? She’s not even here yet and already she needs a second closet.” He set the tiny garment atop the pile that filled the coffee table and moved to sit on the arm of Jethro’s chair, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips.

“You’ve already begun to invade my half of our dresser, don’t look at me.” Jethro took the kiss and added one of his own, humming his approval against Tony’s lips and wrapping a hand around his nape to pull him in.

“Hey now,” Tony gently extricated himself from Jethro’s clutches, “don’t go trying to distract me with your sexy pregnant moves just because you know I’m an addict. We had an assignment tonight,” he admonished playfully.

Jethro sighed. “We could do it tomorrow,” he proposed hopefully, trailing his fingers up Tony’s thigh.

“We’ve been saying that for the last two weeks. If you hadn’t noticed, we’re running out of time.” His hand caressed the dome of Jethro’s belly fondly.

“Fine. But don’t blame this one on me.” Jethro handed Tony a DVD from the table beside him and pushed himself up to join him on the couch.

“I think we can handle it. Besides, what could be so horrible?” Tony asked as he slipped the disk into the player.

* * *

 

“Woah.” Tony set the remote on the coffee table with a slightly trembling hand and leaned back into the couch. “That was…”

“Yeah.” Gibbs’ voice was steady.

“I mean…I knew but I didn’t… _know,_ you know?” The younger man babbled in disbelief.

“I know,” Jethro agreed stoically.

“And you really wanna…Jesus, Gibbs, are you crazy?” He rubbed at his eyes. “Oh my God. I seriously can’t un-see that now.”

“Better get ready for the live show, Tony. Not gonna be any prettier. In fact, it’ll probably be worse.”

They’d just finished watching an incredibly graphic male homebirth video that Darren had brought them as a bit of a preview. In fact, it was one of five he had left them after their last appointment, ostensibly to give them a bit more of a realistic idea about what to expect from the big day. Although he assured them that every single birth was different and personal and encouraged them to watch all the different births with an open mind, Tony found himself feeling a little nauseated after just one.  

“And you wanna go through that voluntarily?” He turned to Jethro seriously.

“Wouldn’t say I exactly volunteered for this, DiNozzo.” Gibbs rubbed his mountainous belly pointedly.

“But _drugs_ Gibbs. You could have drugs. Lots of drugs.  And an epidural.  One little poke and then nothing below the waist. Come _on._ ” Tony knew if it was him he’d pretty much want to be knocked out. Especially after what he’d just seen. “That guy was in pain. Serious pain. I don’t…God, I don’t want to see you go through that.” And that was the heart of it. Yes, it was a fairly gross process with blood and fluids galore, but it was really the thought of seeing the man he loved in the bitter throes of agony for God knew how many hours that had him freaking out.

“That all you saw?” Jethro smiled gently and picked up the remote again, cuing the video back to the part that _he_ remembered most. He pressed play just as the clearly exhausted father pulled a newborn squalling infant onto his chest and then paused, freezing the image on the screen. “You think he remembers the pain right now?” he asked Tony softly.

Tony focused on the screen, saw the unmistakable look of elation, love, and pure, unmistakable joy on the new father’s face and understood.

“That’s what I want. That moment right there.” Jethro twined his fingers with Tony’s. “But I need you with me and I need you strong.” He looked at the younger man seriously. “I need you to be my partner in this, Tony. Because it’s not gonna be easy and I’m not kidding myself about that. You’re my drill Sargent, DiNozzo. For the times I don’t want to keep going. You already have been for the past six months and I just need a little more.” 

“Jethro, I don’t know if I can…”

“You can. I know you. Better than you know you, Tony. You can,” Gibbs affirmed confidently.

Tony was quiet for a minute. “This scares the shit out of me, Jethro,” he confessed, eyes anywhere but on Gibbs. “Something going wrong, something happening to either of you that I can’t…Jesus, it scares the shit out of me.”

Jethro pulled Tony’s hand onto his belly, rested it near the top, just above where a little foot pressed up against the taut skin from inside. “We’re gonna be fine, babe.” His use of the endearment made the younger man’s head pop up and he held Tony’s eyes firmly, refusing to let him run away from this.

Eventually Tony nodded, feeling something firm and resolute solidify inside of him. This was his family and he would give them whatever they needed. There was no backing down. Gibbs smiled at him then and he turned awkwardly to plunge his face into the crook of the older man’s neck. “I love you so much,” he whispered hotly against the warm skin of Jethro’s throat.

“I know.” He buried his nose in the soft down of Tony’s hair and inhaled sharply, kept a hand pressed to the back of his neck until he felt the younger man’s muscles slacken. “She still needs a name, you know,” Jethro pressed his cheek to Tony’s head to hold him where he was.

Tony shifted slightly , found a bit more comfortable position but stayed in the close of Gibbs’ shoulder. “She does,” he agreed. “Guess we’d better get to work on that pretty soon. You think of anything yet?”

“Had a couple ideas,” Jethro confessed. “But I think I want you to pick.”

Tony’s head flew up at this. “You serious?” He really wasn’t sure he’d heard the other man correctly.

“Wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t. BUT, I reserve veto power,” Jethro warned.

“Why?” Tony asked, still incredulous.

“Had one shot at this myself. Don’t think I did too bad. Thought I’d give this one to you.” Tony’s hand pressed more firmly against the swell of his stomach and Jethro’s heart thrilled at the look on the younger man’s face.

“Thank you,” Tony said in a near whisper.  It was lame but he couldn’t think of words that encompassed the gratitude he felt for this moment.

“Thank _you_ ,” Jethro grazed his cheek with a knuckle and caught the trail of moisture that had escaped before kissing him gently. “You think of anything yet?”

“Had a couple ideas,” Tony grinned mysteriously.

“Just make sure you pick soon. Think she wants out.” Jethro shifted and winced as his whole lopsided belly wobbled and distorted with strong movements from the child within.

“Soon enough baby girl. Soon enough,” Tony leaned down and whispered soothingly , planting a quick kiss on Jethro’s pointy belly button before moving away to avoid a kick.

“Not soon enough for me. She’s getting too big to be doing jumping jacks in here.” When she was this active it was sometimes painful for him now.

“You wanna watch more of Placenta Dinner Theatre?” Tony gestured to the pile of videos.

“Think I’ve had enough for the night. Feel like helping me into the bath? I’d like to get some sleep tonight.” There were a few things that pretty reliably got the restless baby to calm down, a warm bath, a light massage, a beer or a small glass of wine.  Or sometimes Tony crooning a little Sinatra at his midsection was enough to do the trick all on its own. He was kinda hoping for all four tonight.

“Want company?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

 Gibbs held out a hand so DiNozzo could help him up off the couch. “Was counting on it.”

 

 

 


	32. Preparing

**37 Weeks**

“Put it down, DiNozzo,” Jethro snapped as he shifted atop the crinkly paper beneath him. It’s slightly waxy surface clung to the backs of his legs and made him uncomfortably aware that his ass was very very naked beneath the short gown that he didn’t even make a pretention at trying to close any more. The curve of his stomach rested heavily on his thighs and he rubbed it absently, taking comfort from the firm outline of the baby’s back which was easily palpable along the left side of the taut mound.

Tony froze at Gibbs’ harsh tone, fumbling and very nearly dropping the object he had been preparing to make a fake end run across the small room with. “Sorry.” He turned sheepishly to place the small plastic fetus back in the larger cross-sectioned model of the pregnant male anatomy that was a recent addition to the exam room. Ever curious, he’d had discovered the removable, and conveniently football sized, object soon after he had helped Jethro haul himself up onto the exam table and had been tossing it around carelessly ever since. He blamed it on nerves. 

Gibbs didn’t want to admit it but he was nervous too. He was due for a regular weekly checkup in two days but today after lunch he’d felt dampness in the seat of his pants and found a distinctly blood-tinged discharge in his boxers. He hadn’t had any further bleeding but Reed had made time for them to come in that afternoon to check things out.

Seeing Jethro fidgeting on the table, Tony walked over to him and clasped his hand firmly. “You’re fine.” He smiled reassuringly and swept his thumb over the back of Gibbs’ knuckles. “And so is she.”

Jethro was about to respond when the door finally swung open and Reed stepped in, nose buried in a chart. He looked up with a warm smile as he approached the two of them. The older man didn’t look at all concerned, and Jethro felt himself relax just a little, not realizing how much tension he had been holding until it was slightly eased.

“How are you feeling?” The doctor moved in and shook hands with each of them in turn and began to palpate Jethro’s abdomen gently along the top and sides before getting a response.

“You want the list?” Jethro grunted.

“You’d think after all these years I’d have learned that lesson,” Reed laughed pleasantly. “Has there been anything unusual besides the discharge you noticed earlier? Any spotting? Any cramps or pain? Change or decrease in movement from the baby?”

“No, no, and no,” Gibbs replied, wincing as cool hands dipped inside his gown and gently explored the perimeter of his swollen and tender chest, making him uncomfortable as his nipples peaked and hardened involuntarily.

“That’s good.” Reed pulled his gown back up on his shoulders. “Feels like everything is coming in on schedule so I believe you’ll be able to nurse without an issue if that’s something you choose. I know a lot of my first time dads are a bit leery about the prospect so if you have any questions…” He left the option hanging for a moment but when Jethro appeared uneasy with even the mere mention of the topic he quickly moved on. “Okay then.” He began to rattle off the good news. “Baby’s in a great position so let’s hope she stays there until you deliver. Your glucose and BP are normal and your measurements and weight both look good. You’re up about 32 lbs now which is completely within the expected range for your frame so I don’t have any concerns. She’s measuring a little over 37 weeks today, actually closer to 39, and if we go by your most recent ultrasound she’s likely closing in on 8lbs already. That’s right in the average range so there’s no reason to think you’ll have a problem delivering her naturally with a little work.” He smiled.

“Not exactly the news you wanna tell a guy who’s about to push one of these out, Doc.” Jethro shifted uncomfortably and rested a hand on his stomach.

“No, I guess not,” Reed agreed, pulling a stool over to the end of the exam table. “Tony, if you could help Jethro lie back now?” he instructed.

The three had done away with formalities somewhere around Gibbs’ 24 week check-up and Tony was now familiar with the exam drill. His instructions were to keep his eyes up top no matter what and even though he didn’t completely understand Jethro’s modesty given that he put his cock, his fingers, and even his tongue in the older man’s ass on a regular basis, he obliged without question.

Jethro leaned backwards awkwardly, trusting Tony’s hands to help support him. He didn’t like being on his back for long with the baby’s increased weight making him feel like he couldn’t breathe fully and putting pressure on his spine, but there was no way around it right now. His feet were guided into cold stirrups but the warmth of Tony’s fingers was still tight around his own and he was grateful to Tony once again for constantly being by his side in all of this.

“Let’s see what’s happening with that baby.” Reed tugged on a glove and lubricated his fingers. “You may feel some cramping or even a mild contraction while I’m checking you. It’s totally normal at this stage of the game,” he reassured Gibbs.

 Nodding in acknowledgement, Jethro took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, willing himself to relax as the older man’s fingers penetrated him. He felt an uncomfortable pressure and a tight cramp low in his stomach that was different from the Braxton Hicks contractions he’d been having intermittently for several weeks. He wished he could see Reed’s face, get some kind of a read on him, but his mountainous belly was in the way. Instead, he watched Tony, focused on the cut of the younger man’s strong jaw, the tiny crinkles beside his ear that he loved to kiss, and the quiet confidence in his shifting grey-green eyes that gave him more reassurance than he’d even hoped for. A moment later his discomfort ebbed as Reed withdrew and Tony quickly helped him sit up again. One of Tony’s hands lingered in the small of his back, rubbing comfortingly in slow circles and he leaned into its warmth just a little. “Well?” he inquired immediately, not even waiting for the doctor to finish washing his hands.

“You’re sure you haven’t felt anything unusual? No cramps in your back that feel a little different than sore muscles?” he inquired again.

“No.” Jethro shook his head firmly. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong, no. And I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Reed reassured them confidently. “But it looks like the discharge you noticed was your mucus plug shedding. It usually happens very close to the onset of labor, sometimes not until the patient is actually _in_ active labor. In some cases it can happen a week or so before hand but your exam shows you’re already almost 2 centimeters dilated and thinning out nicely so I’d say we’re looking at sooner rather than later for you.”

“I’m sorry, could you say that again?” Tony’s head was spinning just a little. He’d heard the words ‘labor’ and ‘dilated’ and not much else with the blood that was suddenly pounding in his ears. “Are you telling us he’s in labor? Right now?” He could hear the tiny edge of panic creeping into his voice and worked hard to control his breathing.

“Not active labor, no. But sometimes early labor pains can start in the back or feel differently than people expect them to and may be even mistaken for other things like indigestion, which is why I asked. Believe me, when the real thing starts, you’ll know it.”

“But you’re saying I could have her any time? Like today? Tomorrow?” Jethro wrapped an arm around his belly protectively.

“Technically you’re full term now so there’s no increased risk for you or the baby if you go into labor at this point. Unfortunately these things aren’t completely predictable,” Reed cautioned. “I’ve seen patients dilate to a few centimeters and stay there for a couple of weeks with no progression. But with the exception of contractions, all the early signs are there, Jethro. Your body is definitely getting ready for labor now.”

Jethro could feel Tony’s hand trembling slightly and he squeezed a bit harder. He understood what the younger man was feeling. As elated as he was to hear the news that his days of being pregnant and miserable were likely coming to an end very shortly, it suddenly made everything seem incredibly real. “So what happens now?” he pressed.

“We wait. I’ll schedule you a regular appointment for next week but to be honest, I’ll be incredibly surprised if she doesn’t make an appearance before then,” he turned to make some notes in his chart.

“Done my fair share of waiting, Doc. Don’t think I’m going to be very good at it this time around,” Jethro protested.

“Like I’ve said before, babies are the most unpredictable creatures in the world. They like to keep to their own timetables.” Reed looked up as he pocketed his pen. “Of course there are a million old wives tales about speeding up the onset of labor. You could always try some of them if you’re anxious. Certainly isn’t going to hurt anything at this point.”

“Like what?” Gibbs asked. As far as he was concerned, if Reed said the baby was ready to come out and everything was safe, he was certainly ready to help that process along any way he could.

“Any number of things, really. Spicy food, bumpy roads, castor oil, and of course everyone’s favorite, good old fashioned sex,” he said with a completely straight face.

“Sex?” Tony perked up.

“Yes,” Reed confirmed. “No one’s precisely certain why it seems to work but it’s thought that the combination of prostaglandins and testosterone in ejaculate help soften the opening of the womb and may stimulate the hormone response that brings on labor. There’s a bit of science behind it but again, nothing’s 100% reliable. In my experience, babies come when they’re good and ready and not before. You might have some fun trying though.” The older man didn’t even try to conceal his broad grin. “How’s your love life been holding up to late pregnancy? Any bleeding, pain, or other difficulties?”

Jethro was about to make a generally vague response but Tony piped up before he had a chance.

“We haven’t really been,” he made a very illustrative gesture with his index finger and a circle of his fingers and thumb of the other hand, “for the last week or so since the baby dropped. Can’t find a position that’s comfortable for him anymore, but I’ve still got these.” He wiggled all his fingers and grinned. “And he still goes to town on me almost every night like…”

“I think he gets the picture, DiNozzo,” Jethro interrupted before things got really out of hand. Reed’s face was quite red and his own cheeks were burning.

“Well, that’s certainly a thorough answer, Tony. Thank you. As I said, nothing is fool proof but I can give you the names of at least 20 dads in recent memory who have wound up in the delivery room not long after a little roll in the hay.”

“And it’s safe?” Tony asked. “I mean without this mucus thing?” He had to admit he’d been a little concerned about making love to Jethro now that he was so far along. The fact that Gibbs had started having some irregular contractions after the last time they’d done it didn’t help that.

“As long as Jethro’s membranes haven’t ruptured yet there’s really no risk of infection or harm to the baby. But gentle is always a good rule at this stage of pregnancy.” He patted Tony’s shoulder.

“So other than that I’m good to go?” Gibbs asked, sliding cautiously off the table with Tony’s help. “’Everything’s good, you might go into labor any time now, try having sex’?”

“That pretty much sums it up, I suppose. You may have some mild contractions due to the exam for the next few hours or so but if things start to get organized, or your water breaks, don’t wait to call your birth assistant. I also advise giving him an update on today’s appointment so he knows to keep a bit of a closer eye on things. And if anything changes or you experience anything out of the ordinary you know my number.” Reed smiled warmly as he opened the door.

“Thanks, Doc,” Gibbs said sincerely, “for everything.”

“It’s been a true pleasure, gentlemen. And if I don’t see you next week, I expect pictures of your beautiful little girl for my wall as soon as she decides to show her face to the world.”

Tony looked at Jethro in awe as the door swung closed. “He said we’re about to have a baby.”

“He did,” Gibbs confirmed.

“Holy shit.” He dropped heavily into one of the chairs.

“Yeah.” Jethro put a hand to his belly with a wince. The change in position had brought on a contraction that was more pressure than pain but still a little uncomfortable. Thankfully it ebbed quickly. “Don’t tell me you’re changing your mind about this now.” He watched Tony’s face carefully.

“Not even one little bit.” He smiled gently and reached for Jethro’s hand, pulling him closer. “Just can’t believe I might actually get to hold her any day now. It always seemed so far away until now.” His voice was low and thick. Tony’s eyes didn’t leave Gibbs’ as his fingers slowly pushed up the soft cotton gown that barely reached his thighs and skimmed over the rounded swell of his pregnancy. Pressing his lips reverently to the beloved flesh that was the only thing separating him from his daughter, he traced the dark line that had formed down the center of the firm mound with his mouth, skirting the sensitive nub of Jethro’s belly button as his fingers drew delicate patterns across the older man’s hips.

Tony’s touch was so gentle, so tender, but Jethro’s body responded to it nonetheless. “Don’t think he meant for us to have sex _here,_ Tony,” he chided, not putting a stop to the younger man’s ministrations, but giving him a warning all the same.

Tony pulled back reluctantly with a sigh. His affections had been just that, a reassurance of his commitment and not intentional foreplay, yet he should have known better. “Are we ready for this?” he asked seriously.

“In my experience, no one is ever ready for this.” Gibbs carded his hands through the younger man’s hair. “But I think we’re as ready as we can be.”

“I think so too,” Tony agreed. It wasn’t a lie. He was nervous as hell, certainly, but he was pretty sure at least half of that was excitement rather than worry. There was a lot to know, a lot to learn, and yet somehow, he trusted that he and Jethro would figure it out together. With one last sweep of his lips against Jethro’s belly he stood to help Gibbs dress, unable to resist the urge to stop and wrap his arms around the other man for just a moment in the process.

The weight of Tony’s arms against his ribs was soothing and the press of the younger man’s head into the hollow of his shoulder felt like home and comfort and everything he needed in his life right now. “Ready to go home and work on getting this kid out of me?” He rested his hands on top of Tony’s and curled his fingers.

“Mmm…That has got to be the sexiest pickup line I’ve ever heard, Gibbs,” Tony hummed just below Jethro’s ear. “And I can’t wait to try.”

* * *

 

“So?” Tony glanced sideways at Gibbs across the seat of the truck. Jethro had reluctantly let him drive now that it was a squeeze to get his belly behind the wheel.

“So, what?” Gibbs held onto the handle as DiNozzo took a corner a bit wide.

“Anything happening? In there, I mean.” He patted his own stomach.

“You mean aside from raging heartburn and a little nausea? I don’t think it works like that, Tony.” On the way home from the appointment they’d stopped at a little Thai food place known for its authentically spicy dishes, Tony’s argument being that if there was more than one old wives tale about getting labor started, they should just try as many as possible close together and something was bound to work.

Their waitress had smiled knowingly at the sight of Gibbs’ swollen stomach and informed them that they were far from the first expectant parents to visit the establishment with more than a good meal on their agenda. She’d brought him something she claimed to be a house special just for this purpose and just a whiff of the steaming sauce had made his eyes water. He’d managed to choke down most of the piquant meal with a fair amount of water and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be able to taste anything for a week. After they’d left, Tony had taken a detour off the George Washington down a narrow side street that was desperately in need of some patch work. Gibbs had to hand it to him, he was pretty sure they had hit every single pot hole along the five block stretch even if it meant swerving back and forth like the worst drunk in history.

“Oh. Well, you’ll tell me if it does, right? I mean, before I’m suddenly playing catcher?”

“Mmm…I like it when you play catcher.” Jethro closed his eyes momentarily and willed his stomach to behave for the two blocks they still had to go to make it home. Now that the truck wasn’t lurching violently back and forth every few seconds he felt a bit better.

“You know what I mean.” Tony looked incredulously at the older man. “And are you seriously flirting with me right now, Gibbs?”

“Thought you wanted to get in my pants when we got home? Flirting should be a good sign for you.” Jethro wasn’t sure where the flippant sense of humor was coming from. Perhaps he was more nervous than he was willing to admit to himself. “Don’t worry, Tony. I promise to tell you the minute anything changes,” he confirmed, reaching out for the younger man’s hand.

“Okay then.” Tony pulled into the driveway and put the truck in park. Grasping Jethro’s proffered palm and raising it to his lips, he bathed the back of Gibbs’ hand with soft kisses.

“Now who’s flirting?” Jethro felt his cock begin to harden as Tony’s mouth moved to the thin and sensitive skin of his wrist.

“Can’t help it.” He flicked his tongue against Gibbs’ open palm, traced the line of somewhat softened callouses that bisected it diagonally. “You’re too damn sexy. Might just have to do it right here in the truck.” Tony raised an eyebrow at the older man.

“Maybe a couple of months ago,” Jethro chuckled, draping an arm across his immense belly.

“Mmm…you can always just sit on my lap,” Tony offered helpfully, drawing Jethro’s index and middle fingers to his lips and suckling them gently as his tongue licked into the crack between.

“That’s a damn fine argument you’re making, DiNozzo.” His voice thickened as he closed his eyes and imagined the younger man’s mouth moving around his cock. “But I’m thinking someplace more comfortable,” Jethro said somewhat apologetically. The man inside him who wasn’t nearly nine and a half months pregnant was thrilled with the idea, but he knew it wasn’t exactly practical at this point. Still, Tony’s enthusiasm wasn’t lost on him.  

“Then I think we better get inside.” Tony tugged at Gibbs’ hand and pressed Jethro’s fingers to the hard evidence of his arousal. “If you’re lucky I’ll be able to make it upstairs.”

Tony came around and helped him out of the truck. A couple weeks ago he had still tried to shrug off the younger man’s seemingly constant offers of assistance on most occasions, even snapping at Tony a time or two for his efforts, but now he accepted his steady hands gratefully. Admitting to needing someone else’s help with things as simple as getting dressed had been the most difficult part of this journey so far.

Once Gibbs had his feet firmly planted on the ground, Tony took a minute to grab their bags out of the back of the truck and turned to watch Jethro make his way into the house. The older man had very recently developed the awkward and careful gait of late pregnancy as the baby dropped lower in his hips and, while he knew it frustrated the hell out of Gibbs, his little waddle made Tony grin stupidly. His dick was still half hard and the sway of Jethro’s round bottom didn’t do much to help matters.

Tony caught up to him in the kitchen where he’d stopped to stash their leftovers from dinner. The younger man just watched him move about in the small space, leaning with one shoulder against the entryway wall, arms folded over his chest and a hungry yet hesitant look on his face.

“So…” Tony ventured haltingly.

“So?” Gibbs moved in close and Tony shifted, allowed him into his space. He turned sideways a little, got as close as his belly would allow and hooked a hand behind the younger man’s neck, pulling him to within an inch of his mouth but not touching.

Tony’s breathing picked up at the ardent demand in that simple single syllable, at the taste of Gibbs on his tongue, just out of reach. “You’re sure you want to?” His cock was throbbing at the mere thought of slipping inside the warm embrace of the other man’s body and yet he was holding back his own desire, wanting Gibbs to take the reins, set the limits for his own comfort.

Nipping at Tony’s lower lip in answer, Jethro took the younger man’s hand and guided it low beneath his belly to where his erection strained the soft fabric of his pants. “Just take it slow and I’ll be fine.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” Tony asked lamely, rubbing a flattened palm up and down the length of Gibbs’ cock teasingly.

Jethro’s thumb and forefinger framed Tony’s cut jaw, rasped against the stubble that always came through by the end of the day. “What if it does?” he asked quietly, and Tony’s pupils flared at that, a tiny edge of fear showing through beneath the haze of passion before he pushed it back down again.

“Then this might be the last time we’re alone for a while. Might be the last time I get to make love to you for a few weeks.” His fingers closed firmly around the tip of the erection beneath his palm, moved up and down until Jethro’s thumb pressed hard into bone.

Tony released him suddenly and Gibbs shuddered at the abrupt removal of tight heat from around his cock. “Better make it damn good then.” Jethro let the fevered words caress Tony’s lips before moving past him and heading for the stairs without another word.

When they finally reached the bedroom, Jethro disappeared into the adjoining bath to prep himself while Tony quickly stripped. Knowing that Gibbs would be a couple of minutes, he scurried around in a few drawers and made some preparations of his own.

They hadn’t planned the conception of their child, hadn’t taken a moment to consider that their passionately tempestuous couplings might have sparked new life in those first few insanely torrid nights together. Tonight they were making a conscious effort to hasten their daughter’s arrival into the world and a silly little part of him felt the occasion deserved a bit of romantic pomp and circumstance.

Emerging from the bathroom naked, Jethro blinked to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim flickering light cast by the candles Tony had lit around the room. He recognized them immediately as the same ones he had set out for DiNozzo’s homecoming a few months back and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. With everything they had been through since, it seemed like a lifetime ago and the depth of feeling he’d realized for the other man that night had only grown exponentially over the intervening months.

When he didn’t immediately see Tony, he wandered through the open French doors into the baby’s room where the younger man’s shadow loomed over the still-empty crib.

Tony’s fingers grazed the smooth satin edging of a downy blanket as he gazed downward, trying to imagine this space filled with the soft coos and fussing of a newborn. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear Jethro come up silently behind him and was startled a little when a warm hand caressed the globe of his bottom possessively.

“Like the candles.” Gibbs moved in beside the younger man. “Never was a sucker for romance but they’re a nice touch. Lucky we had them lying around.” Tony had even left a single candle on the baby’s dresser and there was something welcoming about its soft glow.

“Feels like tonight is special.” He shrugged, feeling a little awkward about the whole thing.

“It is,” Jethro agreed, fingers trailing feather-light down Tony’s spine. He grasped the younger man’s hand firmly and tugged him into the other room, away from their future and back to their present. “And it’s just about us tonight. No pressure, okay?”

Tony nodded, faced Jethro as they reached the edge of the bed. His hands framed the older man’s face momentarily, swept down his throat and over his shoulders. Once he reached the tips of Gibbs’ fingers he stroked up again, let his palms graze Jethro’s collar bone, follow the pull of gravity to dark, peaked nipples, hard as steel and responsive to his touch.

Tony’s fingertips lit little fires across the skin of his upper body, brought goosebumps out on his arms as they moved like lover’s breath into the hollow of his throat, barely touching. Jethro stopped breathing as Tony’s fingers brushed his enlarged and sensitive nipples. Usually he gave Tony the signal to stop, pushed his hands away, but tonight he did his best to stand passively and let him explore, let him satisfy his clear interest and curiosity. He had to admit that the younger man’s extraordinarily gentle touches felt heavenly and gave him a strangely satisfying feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had no explanation for.

“This okay?” Tony was incredibly surprised that Gibbs hadn’t stopped him yet. He rolled the engorged nubs between his thumb and forefingers, watching his reaction.

Jethro drew a hissing breath at the tight pressure but didn’t pull away, didn’t protest. His hand snaked over Tony’s hip to knead the younger man’s firm ass in time with the strokes against his own flesh.

Encouraged, Tony was curious to see just how far he could push his boundaries in this particular area, something that was always a concurrent source of extreme pleasure and tremendous apprehension for Jethro as well as an unusual draw for his own natural curiosity. “Sit down,” Tony ordered quietly, using his body to force Gibbs’ knees back against the bed.

He did as Tony asked but not before his eyes gave a silent warning. He knew Tony understood, trusted that the younger man would stop the moment he asked him to, but Christ, he really didn’t want to ask him to.

Dropping to his knees, Tony pressed Jethro’s thighs apart, fitted himself between until his chest closed hard against the bulging baby bump. Curling around it, he plunged his lips to the little triangle where the curve of Jethro’s pregnancy met his sternum and kissed his way hotly upward, leaving a damp trail across the older man’s flesh as he shifted to one side, nosed through soft, silver curls in an ever collapsing spiral. With one last flick of his eyes up at Gibbs, one last glance of reassurance, he pressed the tip of his warm tongue to a hardened nipple and worried the little nub back and forth to the sound of Jethro’s shuddering moans.

Fingers curling into Tony’s hair, Gibbs found himself pulling him closer, nearly ready to beg for the thing his body seemed to want desperately but that another part of him kept trying to rebel against.

The pressure of Jethro’s fingers against his scalp was a plea Tony didn’t want to ignore. With an eager moan he closed his lips around a puckered nipple, scraping his bottom teeth against the extremely responsive flesh as Gibbs bucked against him, pressed into his mouth. With the utmost care he began to suckle gently, working his tongue in circles as his did.

The sweet pull of Tony’s mouth made him ache, made his cock swell unbelievably and leak fat drops that dripped down to tickle his balls. And Tony seemed to be loving it, dampening the whole of his upper body with his mouth, moving from side to side to give each its due worship. There was an odd feeling in his chest, of the internal heaviness he’d lived with for the past few months shifting downward, being _pulled_. “Tony,” he warned breathlessly, loosening his fevered grip on the tendrils of the younger man’s hair but not dropping his hands.

Gibbs was giving him a choice. Tony knew the likely result of his attentions and he didn’t care. He would stop if Jethro gave the order but not before. “Wanna taste you,” he muttered against the moistened curls beneath his lips, “while you’re still all mine.” Instead of removing his mouth, he doubled his efforts. Still careful not to be too rough, he brought one hand up to knead the slight swelling below his lips while the other slipped into the space between their bodies and found Gibbs’ trickling cock, fisting him just above his balls and setting up a quick rhythm. “Do you know how sexy I think it is that your body can do this, Jethro?” He mouthed the words against slick flesh, felt the older man’s breath stutter. “Tell me this doesn’t feel good and I’ll stop. Tell me you don’t love it.”

“Shit,” Jethro muttered, fingernails carving into Tony’s back as his body went into immediate overload. The firm grip around his cock, the delightful pressure in his chest made for an oddly heady mix and he didn’t want it to stop.

Lengthening his strokes to let his fingers glide over Gibbs’ sensitive head, Tony was concentrating so much on the other man’s pleasure that a new sensation, a strange but pleasant taste spilling over his tongue, filling his mouth just a little, caught him by surprise. He lapped eagerly at the sweet fluid which had just the tiniest bit of bitterness to it as well, swallowed the small amount that accumulated and continued to flick his tongue relentlessly as Jethro’s breath caught and grew shaky.

Gibbs knew he was going to come, wasn’t even trying to hold back the quick tide of it now. He felt his muscles tense and shudder, his balls draw up tight below his straining cock and he just let go, let himself spill into Tony’s eagerly waiting fist. DiNozzo’s mouth was on his then, swallowing his trembling moans and feeding him the curiously pleasant taste from his tongue.

Jethro’s muscles finally went slack and Tony dragged the older man’s bottom lip between his teeth with a hum of approval. “See? Not so bad,” he said gently, leaning down to catch an errant drop with his tongue as his hands traced long lines over Jethro’s back. “Nothing to ever be ashamed of.” He released Gibbs’ cock and wiped his hand on the sheet, knowing they would change them in the morning anyway.

“No,” he agreed. Jethro’s arms rested heavily around the younger man’s shoulders. “Tony…”

“I know,” Tony stopped him before they got into an awkward conversation. “Just wanted to see what it was like this once.” And it was true. It hadn’t been at all unpleasant for him and he loved the way it made Gibbs lose control and get all needy and clutching and _hot_. But he knew they would both feel weirder about it once the baby came and he was completely okay with that. “Guess more than a few things are gonna change for us soon, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jethro agreed. “But not the important things. Never the important things,” he said sincerely.

“For me either.” He held Gibbs’ eyes and then kissed him gently, undemandingly.

It was Jethro who finally broke with a seemingly inappropriate laugh. “Won’t have to contend with this much longer, I guess.” He brought a hand down to his belly.

Tony’s eyes danced mischievously, instinctively understanding the older man’s need for a break in the intensity of the moment. “Mmm…I don’t know. I’ll miss the belly.” He dropped down and peppered the surface of the firm mound with kisses as Jethro’s hands carded through his hair.

“I’ll be happy to see my feet again. Not to mention my cock. You have any idea how hard it is to pee with this thing in the way?” Gibbs complained lightly.

“Maybe I’ll just have to check on things down there for you. You know, make sure it’s all intact.” Tony’s lips trailed downward and he shifted position, pressed Jethro back just slightly as the older man supported his weight with his palms against the mattress.

“Though you just did that?” In truth, his quick orgasm had barely taken the edge off his desire and it wouldn’t take Tony much to get him ready for round two, a fact confirmed when he began to swell again as DiNozzo’s mouth moved along the sensitive underside of his belly.

“Rule 3,” Tony muttered. “Always double check.” His lips closed around the smooth head of Jethro’s cock and he swallowed him down completely, feeling the still only semi-erect flesh engorge and harden between his lips as he sucked. The taste of Gibbs’ cum still coated his shaft and it flooded his mouth with the familiar salty tang that made his dick leak in response. When Jethro was fully hard again he released him reluctantly, anxious now to move on to the main event. Rising up, he watched Gibbs lick his lips in anticipation while he stroked his own cock. “How do you wanna do this?” He helped Jethro stand to change positions on the bed.

“On my knees, I guess.” He crawled awkwardly up on the bed and dropped onto his elbows, looking back invitingly at Tony with a little wiggle.

Moving in from behind, Tony smacked his ass playfully, enjoying the display. “How do you feel?” In the last week Gibbs had said that the position made his back hurt so they had avoided it.

“She’d heavy,” he acknowledged, rubbing the side of his belly which hung down beneath him almost low enough that it could rest on the mattress. “Won’t be able to stay this way too long,” Jethro said regretfully.

“Lift up for a second.” Tony grabbed a couple of soft pillows and placed them in front of Gibbs. “Better?” he asked as Jethro lowered himself again.

Careful not to rest too much of his weight on his pendulous stomach, Gibbs felt the strain on his back ease a bit. “Yeah, actually. This is pretty good.”

“Good.” Tony leaned over and grabbed their favorite lube but placed it on the mattress beside him rather than opening it immediately. He began to run his palms in slow, gentle sweeps over Jethro’s curved back, his slightly bowed-out sides, the hard, muscular cuts of his hips and thighs. Gibbs was tense and he was pretty sure this was going to go a lot better if he could get the older man to relax a bit. “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “Gonna go real slow.”

The deep baritone of Tony’s voice took the edge off a little. Jethro couldn’t explain his sudden nervousness but there was no denying it was there. Tony’s hands were soft and soothing, almost hypnotic as they traveled his flesh. One hand slipped lower, dipped into his crack, rubbed gently back and forth between his balls and his hole until pleasure began to slowly overtake apprehension.

Tony felt the tension in Jethro’s muscles begin to ebb and the older man rocked back into his caress. Pulling at Gibbs’ hips, he bent low, licked a wet path upward from his balls and worked his tongue against tight muscle. When Jethro began to loosen up a little he replaced his tongue with one wet finger, popped knuckle at a time inside his warmth and stroked in and out slowly, gauging the depth he was comfortable with. Tony knew the baby was low and that the pressure made penetration of any kind more uncomfortable but he went slow and easy, waited for Jethro to come to him, and eventually the older man was moaning and rolling his hips with each stroke.

“Want you…inside now,” Jethro panted, trying to slow his body’s eager response. Tony’s fingers had worked their magic as usual and he was a breath away from coming already.

Not needing a written invitation, Tony quickly lubed up and placed his knees outside of Jethro’s. Lining himself up and holding his breath, he pressed the head of his cock into the impossibly tight heat of his lover’s ass, exhaling explosively as muscle flexed and fluttered around him. He had to remind himself to go slow, to not lose himself completely to the utterly intoxicating jolts of warmth that shot up his spine and pooled around his hips.

Gibbs had missed this feeling of possession, of holding Tony’s body tight within his own. He’d not known the craving, the emptiness, before Tony claimed him but there was no substitute for it now and despite the mild discomfort he was feeling, he had to fight the strong instinct to drive himself backwards, to force the full length inside. Tony was inching forward, showing incredible reserves and patience until... “Shit…mmm…right there.” The head of the younger man’s cock pressed right against his prostate and Jethro reached back for his hip, holding him in place as he ground against it.

He was only a few inches in but from this angle he knew he was hitting Gibbs just right. He fisted the base of his cock and pulled out to its tip before pressing in again. Jetho’s hole was so tight it tried to force him out, tried to squeeze him in a snug vice as he withdrew. Tony set up a slow rolling pace, letting the circle of his fingers control his depth to keep him from hurting his partner. The added pressure felt good and he stroked his hand up and down a little with each thrust, increasing his own pleasure.

Jethro’s arms were beginning to shake a little from supporting his weight and his back was starting to tense up but Jesus, it felt so damn good to just let Tony fuck him, to listen to the unholy sounds the younger man made as he got closer and closer to his peak, to feel the sweet sweet friction of every delicious stroke no matter how controlled and careful. “Soon,” Gibbs managed breathlessly, putting just a little more of his weight on the pillows as he went down on his elbows and began to rock his hips so that his cock thrust against the soft fabric beneath him.

Trying hard to keep from coming apart, Tony was relieved to hear Jethro’s tight warning. The sudden change in angle as Gibbs shifted caught him off guard and he moaned his approval at the new pressure around his head. He wished he could see his lover’s face, watch the swell of ecstasy bloom across his features as he came, but instead he closed his eyes and drew on memory as the pulse of his hips became more urgent, his breath more stuttered.

Fisting his hands in the sheets, Jethro felt the sweet thrill of impending release chase up his spine and surrendered to it utterly. He was pulled under by the explosion of it in his gut, in his thighs, his shoulders, the irrepressible curl of his toes.

Tony felt the start of Gibbs’ orgasm as a tremor against the head of his cock, the contraction of Jethro’s muscles as his body shuddered, tensed, shuddered again, and the desperate pull of it brought him off with a strangled curse.

The hot burst of Tony’s release inside him kept Gibbs’ body trembling, and the gentle feel of the younger man’s palms against the slick skin of his spine brought him down slowly, eased him back to earth through the heaviness. There was light pressure against his hip and Tony was helping him onto his side, pulling out of him and leaving the aching void that always felt like loneliness. There was some tightness at the bottom of his belly, the price he paid for his exertions, but it was far eclipsed by the pleasant sensations that rippled through his limbs, pulsed through his veins.

Usually Tony curled up behind him but this time Jethro felt the mattress dip on the other side as DiNozzo leaned in and tossed the two soiled pillows he’d just covered in cum before hastily retrieving extras from the closet. Blinking muzzily in the candlelight, Jethro smiled and lifted his head as Tony put a pillow beneath it, another beneath the side of his belly and then settled in facing him.

They didn’t speak for several minutes, each comfortable in their silence and enjoying the simple sound of the other’s breathing. Eventually Tony brought his hand up to rest on the side of Jethro’s stomach and splayed his fingers wide, closing his eyes.

“What?” Gibbs asked gently.

“Just trying to imagine her on the outside,” he admitted. “Feel any different yet?” Tony asked hopefully.

“Ya,” Jethro buried his fingers in the soft fur of the younger man’s chest. “Feel like you just made me come twice. But if you mean do I feel like I’m going to drop this kid any time soon? No more than I did earlier today.”

“Guess it’s probably not supposed to happen right away, huh?” He ginned sheepishly and inched a little closer.  “Suppose we can always keep trying,” he raised an eyebrow. “You might have to give me a half hour or so, though.”

“Mmm…as long as I don’t have to move from this position, I’m in.” His muscles were relaxed for the first time that day and he felt deliciously sated at the moment.

“Think I can work with that.” He reached a hand over Jethro’s hip and teased his fucked open hole just slightly.

“Half hour,” Jethro yawned, already feeling the pull of much needed sleep.

Tony waited for the older man to drift off before he got up and put out the candles and then crawled carefully into bed on his usual side. He moved in close behind Jethro and draped and arm over his hip and belly, stroking taut skin. Gibbs snuggled into the embrace unconsciously and Tony kissed the skin just behind his ear. “We’re ready for you now, Isabella,” he whispered, daring to say his chosen name out loud for the first time. He hadn’t even told it to Jethro yet and Gibbs hadn’t pushed him, seeming to trust that he would choose well and giver her her name when he was ready. For some reason he wanted to keep it to himself for just a little while longer. Perhaps it was selfish, but he felt that this was one thing that was all his, something he alone would be able to give to his daughter when she was placed in his arms for the first time. “Please don’t keep us waiting forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh...big reveal. So, what did you think?


	33. Starting

****

 

 As promised, Tony had made love to him gently while he lay on his side an hour or so later, had fucked him slowly awake murmuring exquisitely hot pleas and endearments against the curve of his ear, caressing his belly, his chest, his cock with practiced hands. Jethro felt wanted as Tony clung to him and trembled in the throes of release, felt loved in ways he had never even known he needed, but above all he felt safe and protected at a time when he was also the most vulnerable he had been in his entire life.

Jethro had been hopeful when he’d had a few somewhat regular contractions close on the heels of this second round. Unfortunately, instead of growing closer together, the tightening sensations in his belly had faded and eventually stopped, bringing a simultaneous sense of relief and frustration. After moving around to see if he could get things started again without success, they decided to call it a day even though it was still relatively early and enjoy a good night’s rest. Sleep wasn’t difficult even with the weight of anticipation riding their shoulders and both knew that every undisturbed moment might be their last for the foreseeable future.

Jethro woke sometime in the middle of the night, coming out of sleep with a gasp but unsure immediately what had roused him. He was used to the baby making random jabs against his ribs while he slept, especially the last few weeks as her quarters grew increasingly cramped and she became restless and eager to move, so he didn’t think anything of it right away.

Squinting at the clock beside him, he saw that it was only 1:30 and he still plenty of time to go back to sleep. When he felt no more movement from his abdomen after getting up to empty his bladder, he lay back down and quickly began to drift off again. He was just on the edge of sleep when a tight cramp crept around the dome of his belly and squeezed quite insistently. The feeling was odd and definitely uncomfortable but he breathed through it evenly, trying to stay calm and determine how long it lasted as he waited for the pain to ease. From start to finish he figured it at a little over 20 seconds but there was no denying that this sensation was different than any pregnancy discomfort he had experienced before, even from the contractions he’d had earlier.

Jethro glanced at the clock again and saw that it was about ten to two. If his suspicions were correct and it was a similar sensation that had woken him initially, that put them at roughly 20 minutes apart.

Fighting a little surge of adrenaline, he forced himself to remain still and calm, to relax and wait to see if it would come again. When he felt his muscles tauten once more, the clock told him it had been 18 minutes and left little doubt in his mind.

He was in labor.

Jethro couldn’t explain how he knew it was different this time, how he knew that this was the beginning of something bigger and not just another practice round and set up for eventual disappointment. There was just something more urgent and focused about this pain, something purposeful and productive about the grip it took around his middle that told him without a doubt that this was the real thing.

Whether it was the sex working its magic or whether it was just time, his body had apparently decided to get down to the hard work of ejecting its little passenger out into the world.

‘Leave it to DiNozzo’s sperm,’ he thought. ‘Sure do know how to get a job done.’

Judging by Tony’s soft snores, he was still pretty deeply asleep which was not surprising considering their activities before bed. Instead of waking him immediately, Gibbs decided to let the younger man sleep a little longer while he got used to the idea that he would likely be holding his daughter in his arms by this time tomorrow. At least he hoped he would.

He waited for the next contraction to come and go and noted that they were definitely keeping to a schedule. Rolling over carefully, he laid his head back down on the pillow and watched Tony sleep, reflecting on everything they had been through together over the last several months and observing the little sparks and flutters from deep in his chest that always ignited when he looked at the face of the man he had fallen deeply in love with despite all the odds against it. The concept of loving another man like this was so foreign to him even after all this time and yet there was no denying the depth of feeling.

Jethro endured several more contractions quietly on his own, dozing briefly or getting lost in thought between them. They were powerful enough that there was no way he could sleep through them and by 5am they were coming regularly at about 13-15 minutes apart and lasting roughly 30 seconds. While they were definitely uncomfortable, he had no trouble getting through them with a minimum of effort at this point using the breathing and concentration Darren had coached them in for early labor. The skin of his belly became warm to the touch and he could feel the heat in his face as well. Whatever else the contractions were doing, they were certainly giving him a workout. Gibbs had to admit that he’d been more than a little skeptical about all the hee-hee-hoo-hoo and deep cleansing crap but now that his belly muscles were tightening like a firm vice every quarter of an hour, he was finding the techniques helpful. In fact he wished he’d paid a bit more attention.

When the next contraction came at only 12 minutes and had an edge to it that dug firmly into his back like no other before it, he decided it was finally time to wake DiNozzo and start getting things ready. He was going to have a baby today-a nearly inconceivable thought-and while he knew there were likely still several hours of escalating pain to endure, he was glad things seemed to be progressing and was eager to get preparations finished so he could concentrate on the work ahead of him.

Edging slightly closer to Tony on the mattress, he stroked the side of his face with a knuckle and leaned in to gently kiss him awake.

“Mmm…what time is it?” DiNozzo stretched lazily against him and draped an arm over his hip, snuggling in.

“Little after 5,” Gibbs answered, kissing him again. The part of him that knew this was likely the last quiet morning they would have together for a long time just wanted to stay in bed, curled tightly to the inviting warmth of Tony’s firm body.

“You’re warm,” Tony purred, fingers grazing Jethro’s fevered skin. “You decide you need more after last night?” he asked drowsily, thrusting his morning erection lightly against the bottom curve of Jethro’s heavily pregnant stomach.

“Oh, I think I got enough,” Jethro said mysteriously, a hint of amusement coloring his voice.

“Really?” DiNozzo’s eyes finally fluttered open at this and he seemed surprised and a little disappointed.

“Need to get up. We’ve got a birthday party to get ready for.” He smiled gently at the younger man and then took Tony’s hand and pressed it to the side of his belly, watching as his eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Oh man, did I forget Abby’s birthday? I thought it wasn’t till next month? You were supposed to remind me,” he accused, mind clearly not fully awake yet. “Why do we have to get up at 5am for a birthday party?”

Gibbs rolled his eyes. Apparently he was going to have to spell it out. “Not Abby, Tony. The baby. Pretty sure she’s on her way.” He had tried for calm but even he was aware of the unintended note of apprehension in his own voice.

Tony’s eyes flew wide. “Seriously?”

“Oh, I think she’s pretty serious.” He shifted as he felt the warning flutters that signaled the beginnings of another contraction taking hold and took a deep breath in, blowing it out slowly as the intensity built quickly.

“You’re having a contraction right now? Like a real real contraction?” Tony bolted upright off the mattress, coming to a landing on his knees in one swift movement.

Jethro nodded mutely, sucking in another breath. This one was taking a little more of his concentration. Finally it ended and he opened his eyes to find Tony hovering over him with a half-worried, half-excited look on his face.

“How long?” DiNozzo asked, helping Jethro sit up.

“’Bout four hours now. At least that’s when it woke me up. Just started to get a little more intense.” The good thing Gibbs was finding was that, when the pain was gone, it was gone, and he was able to move without any discomfort. Well, any more than normal anyway. The knowledge that he would get a true respite in the intervening space made the increasingly frequent spasms easier to tolerate when they came.

“Why the hell didn’t you wake me up?” Tony asked reproachfully.

“No reason for both of us to be awake. Might be a long time yet. They say first babies can even take a couple of days. ” Some internal sense told him that wouldn’t be the case for him, that this baby was in a little bit more of a hurry, but he had no basis for that feeling and didn’t see the need to get Tony worked up.

“How are the contractions?” He knew Gibbs had said again and again that he wasn’t really worried about the pain but sometimes things were different when you looked at them from the inside. Damn straight _he_ was worried about it.

“Getting closer. About 12 minutes now and pretty strong,” Jethro admitted. “But they aren’t too bad. Yet.” He felt prepared to deal with the increasing discomfort but he had to admit that he was a little nervous about how intense things might get later. Gibbs felt that his body was ready to give birth and the reassurance of that same opinion from two experienced professionals gave him confidence, but that fear of somehow losing control of the pain, of himself, was still hovering in the back of his mind.

“What can I do?” If this was only the beginning of the utterly helpless feeling in his gut, Tony suspected he’d be nearly as miserable as Gibbs as the day wore on.

Jethro rested his palm on the other man’s cheek. “You’re doing it.” He kissed him lightly. “Now help me up. Wanna shower before the circus starts.”

Tony hoisted his partner off the bed with little effort and paused to rest a hand on Jethro’s bare and absurdly swollen stomach. “Can’t believe I get to meet her today.” He looked up into the ice-blue eyes that never ceased to amaze him with their warmth. “I can’t imagine doing this with anyone but you, you know.”

“You better not,” Gibbs answered playfully before turning more somber. “Makes two of us though,” he squeezed Tony’s hand.

They started for the bathroom when Jethro felt another contraction coming. The sensation felt different now that he was standing and he could feel the tight band of pressure trying to work with gravity. The few steps also told him that the baby had moved much lower and that her engaged head was slowly forcing his hips apart, making walking even more awkward.

When Gibbs stopped suddenly, arcing forward slightly as his forehead creased with pain, Tony moved around in front of him to offer support. Fortunately, the contraction was over quickly. “That wasn’t 12 minutes.” Tony stated the obvious as soon as Jethro stood up straight and started breathing normally again.

“Probably just changing positions.” This one hadn’t felt as uncomfortable as the last ones he’d had while lying down but Tony was right, it was closer. “Think maybe you should call Darren just in case.” He’d honestly hoped to keep it just the two of them for as long as it was safe and he could stand it but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t going to have to sit around all day and wait for things to get more interesting and he knew Tony would feel better with a little reassurance and a more experienced hand around. Admittedly, Gibbs realized he would too.

Tony nodded, looking slightly relieved to have something productive to do, and reluctantly let go of his arm, heading back for the bedroom and his cell phone.

Jethro made his way into the bathroom and stopped to stare at his reflection in the mirror for just a second. Resting a hand on the curve of his belly, he traced the swollen mound, still amazed that this was really happening to him. The culmination of this once in a lifetime experience was one tinged with both excitement and grief. He would miss the close bond that he alone had shared with his daughter over these last months, but for the first time in a very long time he felt himself looking forward, less afraid to hope for the future.

Tony’s muffled voice from the other room brought him back to the present and he stepped away with a last glance, moved to turn on the shower, breathing deep as the room turned warm and steamy.

Stepping beneath the pulsing spray, Gibbs turned to face the wall and allowed the water to beat down on the small of his back, to loosen and relax tight muscle. When his next contraction came at him in this same position, it had a bit less of an edge and he attributed it to the moist heat surrounding him. He was still in the midst of it when a burst of cool air announced Tony’s entrance into the stall.

Tony waited until Jethro’s muscles relaxed to step further into the cavernous shower. “’Nother one?” he asked needlessly.

“Mmm…over now.” He stood up and circled his hips, ridding himself of the last of the lingering tension. “Get ahold of him?” he asked.

“Yeah.” This was news he wasn’t exactly looking forward to conveying and he kept his voice as level as possible. “He said he’s just finishing up with another birth and that he’s not too far away. Asked a lot of questions about how things were progressing so far but basically said he’d be here as soon as he could, and if your contractions were five minutes apart for more than an hour or if your water broke before he got here to call him right away and he would send over his partner James in the meantime. He also offered to send him earlier if we felt like we just wanted someone here.” Tony saw Gibbs’ jaw tighten just a little and understood his apprehension. He knew it had been hard enough for Gibbs to allow another person into such an intimate experience but it had been necessity. The idea of replacing him with a total stranger was distinctly unappealing to Tony as well. “Hey,” he rubbed a hand up and down Jethro’s arm soothingly, “we knew there were likely gonna be a few bumps in the road, right? Listen, he gave me a big list of stuff to do and look out for. I even wrote it all down. And you said it yourself, first babies can take a long time. After we finish up here if you’re hungry I’ll make those chocolate chip and banana pancakes for breakfast, set everything up, and I’m sure he’ll be here before we know it.” Gibbs did not look completely reassured, but he nodded in acknowledgement. “We got this, Jethro.” He framed the older man’s face with his hands. “Nothing to worry about, okay?”

Changes in plan were not something he felt like he could handle easily right now but Tony was right, they had gone over and over the whole process, had watched video after video, practiced breathing until they were blue in the face. They had this. And the younger man’s quiet confidence was exactly what he needed right now even though it was still a difficult thing to admit. “Pancakes sound good,” he finally answered. In truth he wasn’t really hungry but Tony was trying so hard.

“Yeah?” His thumb caressed Jethro’s cheek.

“Yeah.” Gibbs leaned forward and kissed the younger man lingeringly.

Feeling slightly relieved, Tony turned for the soap and a washcloth and helped Gibbs get the hard to reach spots before grabbing his own pooffy bath thingy-Jethro still mocked him for that one-and taking care of himself. He was about to turn the water off when Gibbs’ hand went to the side of his belly and he drew the deep breath that Tony already equated with the start of another contraction. Having observed the way Jethro was standing beneath the pulsing spray during his last one, Tony quickly took the shower nozzle down, turned up the intensity just a little and aimed it right at the older man’s lower back. “How does that feel?”

“Mmm…pretty damn amazing,” Gibbs replied. The tight pressure was still there but the strong pulse right up against his spine helped temper it a bit.

“Wanna get out or stay here for a little longer?” Tony asked when the spasm ended and Jethro relaxed.

“Heat feels good,” he admitted. “But you can get out if you want.”

“I’m wherever you want to be today, Gibbs,” Tony said sincerely. “We can stay here until the hot water runs out or we both turn into big fat prunes if that makes you feel good.”

Jethro laughed lightly but he appreciated the younger man’s willingness to let him have control, his understanding of how important it was right now. “Maybe just till the next one’s over?” They felt a little more like ten minutes apart to him since he’d gotten up and out of bed but hadn’t changed in intensity or length so he wasn’t feeling panicky or rushed.

Tony nodded. “Turn around and lean up against the wall if it’s comfortable for you. Maybe I can help a little.” He placed the shower head back in its holder.

Gibbs knew exactly what was coming and he obliged happily, leaning forward and resting his head on his crooked arm. He widened his stance a little, finding that it made his hips a bit more comfortable, and groaned as Tony’s hands began to knead his shoulders and the back of his neck. Soft hands slid along his slick skin soothingly, sought out every ounce of tension in places he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding it. Tony’s nimble fingers danced up and down his spine, between his shoulder blades and gradually kept working lower.

Focused on the knots beneath Jethro’s skin, Tony let his hands fan out to ghost over the other man’s hips as he put his weight into his palms, pressed hard into the curve of Gibbs’ spine.

“Ohh…” Jethro moaned, the sound one of extreme pleasure even as another contraction began. He felt the pressure lessen and pressed backwards into Tony’s hands. “Don’t stop, feels so good,” he half panted, knowing DiNozzo had felt the tightening of his muscles beneath his fingers and was afraid to hurt him. The firm touch was just what he needed.

Smiling as Gibbs sagged in relief at the end of the contraction, Tony continued his ministrations, working his fingers deep into the heavy muscles of Jethro’s bottom and kneeling onto the cool tile to work his thighs and calves. “How do you feel now?” he asked as his fingers lingered at Gibbs’ ankles, pressing into the tendons of his heels and then stroking up again.

Jethro turned slowly, reached down for the younger man and Tony rose to his feet. “Feel like one damn lucky bastard.” His voice was thick and he didn’t think he could blame it on the shower.

Tony reached for him, stoked the sides of his belly tenderly. “I’m gonna remind you of that later when we get to the hard parts,” he chided.

They stayed in until the next contraction came and went and even with the pain, Jethro felt incredibly relaxed, in control of his body and the process that seemed to be slowly progressing inside of it. When the water began to grow cold, he stepped out carefully, tousled his hair with a fluffy towel and handed it to Tony who helped him once again with the parts that had become impossible to reach. “Help me with something else?” He didn’t wait for Tony’s answer as he walked over to the sink and opened a drawer beneath the counter.

Gibbs held up an electric razor with a look of regret on his face and Tony felt a pang of sympathy, understanding why this was something that had been saved until the very last minute. “God, I’m gonna miss this.” He stepped in and plunged his fingers into the thick pewter curls that covered the older man’s upper body.

“You and me both,” Jethro grunted. “Kid’s got a eat though. Don’t think she’ll appreciate all this in the way.” He flipped the switch on the razor and an insistent buzzing noise echoed off the tiles surrounding them. “Careful,” he warned as he handed the implement to Tony whose eyes widened.

“You want me to..?” Tony took an involuntary step backwards.

Jethro nodded. “You’ve got a better view than I do.”

Taking the razor nervously, Tony held it just below the older man’s clavicle. “You seriously promise not to kill me?”

“Just hurry up already?” He really wanted it just to be over with so he didn’t have to think about it anymore.

“Here goes nothing.” Tony concentrated, tried not to press too hard, but he saw Gibbs wince a few times when he came close to areas that were more than a little sensitive at the moment. He had to pause half way for Jethro to get through a contraction but the end results weren’t really too bad. Odd, definitely, when he was used to a dense bed of soft curls, but as he ran his fingers over Gibbs’ now-bare skin he was pretty sure he could get used to the idea. Whether Jethro could was another question. “Well?” he asked, brushing off the last of the shorn hair with a dry towel and turning him towards the mirror which had mostly cleared of steam. Tony wrapped his arms around from behind, rubbing little circles on Jethro’s warm belly.

Gibbs took in his altered reflection, trying to keep an open mind. With his chest bare, the changes in it were more observable, more defined, and his fingers rose automatically to brush at the slight swelling, the darkened nipples. Letting out the deep breath he had been holding, he leaned back into Tony’s arms, closed his eyes against the image for just a minute as he gathered himself.

“Hey,” Tony whispered sympathetically, “it’s only for a couple of months, right? I think you look hot.” He pressed his lips to the side of Jethro’s throat.

He knew Tony was right. Jethro didn’t understand why this whole damn thing was bothering him so much and yet he couldn’t fully shake it even with such gentle reassurances. His eyes locked with Tony’s in the glass for the space of a few heartbeats, the gravity of everything descending on him suddenly. “I’m having a baby.” At first Jethro didn’t even realize he’d said it out loud, but as the phrase echoed softly off the tile around him and when Tony’s arms tightened slightly he knew that he had. He remembered back to how those words had felt the very first time he’d said them, how they had echoed in the emptiness of the house around him, the emptiness inside.

Tony felt his chest tighten. For a moment it felt like Gibbs was speaking not to him, but to the very air around them. “You’re having my baby.” His hands spanned the broad expanse of the older man’s stomach and he nuzzled into the hollow of Jethro’s shoulder.

“I’m having _our_ baby,” Jethro corrected softly, and the feel of it across his tongue, the change in that single word, made all the difference in the world. His home was full of warmth now, full of life, full of Tony, and the emptiness that had lived inside him for so long had been pushed to the very edges, filled in with hope by the heart that beat fast and strong and whole beneath his own broken one, and overrun with love for a man who had given him the most unexpected gift ever.


	34. Ending and Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. The end of this ride. Thank you all for joining me. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm still just kind of hopelessly in love with this story myself and do not rule out a companion fic in this 'verse at some point.

“Son of a bitch,” Jethro cursed breathlessly as his latest contraction peaked, gripping painfully around his belly with such intense pressure that felt like it was pulling his insides apart. His fingers were white and shaking against the edge of the counter before it finally loosed its hold on him.

“Almost 50 seconds this time, that’s a long one.” Tony set down the stop watch they had been using to keep track of the progressively lengthening spasms for the last few hours and rubbed hard at the curve of Gibbs’ lower back to help him shed the remaining tension.

“You’re telling me.” He took a deep breath and let it out, shaking off the pain while he could. It was almost 9am and as near as he could figure he’d been in labor for at least seven and a half hours now. His contractions had continued to increase in frequency and length and the last few had been coming at about six or seven minutes apart. Tony’s fingers ceased their work on his spine and pressed a cool towel to the back of his neck as he straightened, turning to face the other man gratefully. It was going to be a warm day from the feel of it and Jethro was rethinking his decision to don the soft pair of sweats that hung loosely below his belly. He’d already shed the too-snug t-shirt he’d put on upstairs as his exertions increased and the lower level of the house started to heat up a little.  A large fan circulated the air from the living room into the kitchen and he shivered slightly as a blast of cooler air hit him and quickly dried the sweat on his skin.

Gibbs had spent the better part of an hour pushing his breakfast around on his plate between contractions but he’d taken at least a few bites of pancakes and had some orange juice which made Tony feel better. After that they’d taken a walk to the end of the block as Darren had recommended being as active as possible as long as possible to help him progress faster. Unfortunately, Jethro had quickly grown self-conscious and uncomfortable as cars went by and gawking neighbors who seemed to want to start awkward conversations came out to retrieve their morning papers or take out the trash, so they had returned to the house and spent some time walking around the backyard. Walking was awkward and difficult with the baby feeling like she was between his knees, but the contractions were beginning to take it out of him and Jethro was happy to do anything that might speed things along. They’d come in so Tony could make the necessary phone calls to notify NCIS of their impending new arrival and subsequent absences from work as well as see if their birth assistant had called with an update on his expected arrival time. “You want anything? More breakfast? Water?” Tony offered.

“Double shot of Bourbon with a side of morphine?” Jethro answered gruffly.

Tony leaned in and kissed his damp forehead. “Would if I could.” He smiled sympathetically and then turned more serious. “Gibbs…there’s still time to go if you think it’s too much,” Tony said tentatively. He had been hesitant to say anything, needing Jethro to know he supported whatever he wanted wholeheartedly, but he’d seen the other man struggling a bit more during his last few contractions. “There are drugs and doctors about five minutes away, you know.”

Jethro didn’t hesitate to shake his head. “I’m good,” he reassured the younger man firmly, understanding that Tony was merely concerned about him. “You good?” He brought his hand up and to DiNozzo’s shoulder and studied him intently for a moment.

“I’m good,” he nodded. The familiar exchange gave him comfort and confidence in the fact that Jethro’s head was clear.

“So what did Morrow say?” Jethro asked, moving to the sink for a glass of water.

“Just got his voicemail.” He’d attempted to get the Director on the phone just before the start of Gibbs’ last contraction with no success. “Just told him we were having a baby and I’d check in when it was all over.”

Gibbs nodded. “Abby?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m afraid I’ve actually lost a little hearing in this ear after the way she squealed.” He tugged at his earlobe. “Wouldn’t let me off the phone until I promised to let her come and visit the moment you recovered.”

“Expected nothing less,” Jethro chuckled and then winced and rubbed his side.

“Already?” Tony’s eyes widened.

Gibbs shook his head. “Just kicking me. Don’t think she’s too happy about being evicted.”

“Would you be?” He leaned down to kiss Jethro’s bare belly but the moment was interrupted by the chirp of his cell phone. Looking at the number, he recognized it as Darren’s and flipped open the receiver. “DiNozzo,” he answered. “We’re good here. Moving along fast though…every six or seven…” he paused as Gibbs let out a pained grunt and turned to the counter for support, “make that 5 minutes this time…No, no sign of his water breaking yet but…that’s good news…We will… Front door’s open if we don’t answer,” he finished, setting the phone back on the table and moving to Jethro’s side, coaching him through the pain until it finally relented.

“Shit, that hurts.” Jethro exhaled slowly, circled his hips, and went into a half squat. He could feel his body trying to open up, to make room and stretch so that the baby could work her way down but right now he mostly just felt an extraordinary sense of pressure really low in his belly that didn’t quite feel the way he would expect a head to feel if that’s what it was. He tried to ignore it as he straightened and turned to Tony. “What did he say?”

“He’s leaving right now. Should be here in a half hour or less.”

Gibbs could hear the relief in Tony’s voice and had to admit that he felt the same. That unexplainable sense of urgency he’d been feeling at the beginning of his labor was creeping back up on him quickly. “Think maybe I wanna go upstairs now.” They’d planned for him to give birth in their bedroom where he would be close to the nursery and the bathroom if he needed it and he didn’t want to wait until it was too late to make the move. He would still have ample room to walk around and he could get in the tub, the shower, or even sit on the toilet when they got to the more difficult parts. As he took a step toward the stairs he felt something let go inside of him with a liquid ‘pop’. “Aw hell,” he cursed as warm amniotic fluid dampened the seat of his sweats and trickled down his leg.

Tony turned just in time to see the darkening stain on Jethro’s bottom.

“Water broke,” he looked up at Tony helplessly, waiting for the release of fluid to stop as a small puddle slowly formed at his feet.

“Guess it did.” Tony tried for comforting but knew his smile was a little tremulous. “Be right back.” They’d brought a stock of absorbent pads and some towels from upstairs for this very reason and he quickly retrieved them from the living room.

“Probably never thought of this when you ran me down in that alley,” he said as Tony cleaned the floor and helped him strip out of his soaked pants. He actually felt a tremendous sense of relief and a momentary lessening of the heavy pressure inside him now that the dam had finally burst. He’d expected it to all come in a rush but there was still a steady stream running down his thigh. Tony handed him a pad to put between his legs while the younger man tossed his soiled clothing into the washer.

“Didn’t think about much but that sexy ass of yours,” Tony said as he came back into the kitchen.

“And now?” The question was light, but part of him really wondered what Tony secretly thought of this whole process.

Tony leaned in and toweled off Jethro’s bottom half. “Even sexier.” His fingers tapped lightly against the other man’s ass.

“You’re crazy,” Gibbs muttered as they started for the stairs with him walking awkwardly, trying to keep the bulky pad in place.

“So you keep telling me.” He stole a quick kiss.

They hadn’t even made it to the bottom of the stairs when Jethro felt his next contraction beginning. This one had an entirely different feel to it and it quickly stole his breath with its sharp edge, so much so that his knees buckled and he went down onto the second riser, leaning forward and gripping another stair above him with everything he had. “Aaahhhhhh…” The gasp turned into a drawn out groan and he keened long and low quaking with the pure power of it. Somehow the sound resonated with the pain, gave him more focus.

Tony could see that Jethro was immediately having a much more difficult time with this contraction, but when he collapsed onto the stairs he became genuinely concerned. “Breathe, Jethro,” he coached, trying to keep his voice calm and easy as he pressed his palm against Gibbs’ back in the way that had seemed to help him earlier.

“Oh God, don’t touch me,” Jethro panted desperately. Suddenly, he couldn’t handle even the deep pressure anymore and Tony’s well intended touch was distracting him from trying to cope with the unbelievable pain that didn’t seem to want to let go this time.

Recoiling as if struck, Tony merely watched helplessly and muttered reassurances that the contraction would be over soon even though it seemed to be going on much longer than the last.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Jethro said breathlessly as his muscles finally began to relax again. _This_ was labor. _This_ was the thing that had made grown men scream and cry and beg in the countless videos they had subjected themselves to. Suddenly he understood all too well what the big fuss was about. He stayed on his knees, trying to gather himself and get his breathing back under control. Blessed relief swept through his whole body as the pain fully subsided and he sagged against the cool wood of the staircase for a moment before allowing Tony to help him to his feet.

“Gibbs…” It was more difficult to watch Jethro in pain than he had even imagined and he couldn’t keep the deep concern from his voice.

“I’m okay, Tony, really.” He clasped the younger man’s hand. “Think it might be a little more interesting from here on out though.” They started up the stairs and Jethro realized that he felt a bit lighter without the small weight of his amniotic fluid and also that the baby was pressing lower in his belly, no longer happily suspended in her cushioned pool. He felt unsteady and off balance and definitely needed Tony’s supporting hand to make it to the upper floor. Before they got into the bedroom, another contraction, equally as strong and excruciatingly painful as the last, ripped through him without mercy. This time Jethro clung to Tony’s shoulders as he moaned, rocking from side to side as he had been taught to do, but by the time it finally let up he was sticky with sweat and felt like he had just climbed 20 flights of stairs instead of one.

Jethro’s arms were heavy around his shoulders but Tony was happy to be of any use possible right now. He spoke soothingly in the laboring man’s ear and rocked gently with him even as Gibbs’ body trembled with the peak of the pain gripping him. Tony could feel his pregnant belly, hard and tight against his own flat stomach and he knew the moment when the contraction began to ebb a little. He hadn’t been able to look at the stopwatch during the last two spasms but they were definitely over a minute long and the quick changes that were happening now had him feeling a little panicky. He would feel a hell of a lot better when Darren finally arrived.

Once Tony had helped him clean up a little more, Jethro tried to find a position that offered any relief from the now-grueling contractions.

“You should try to sit on the ball,” Tony offered after pressing up against the wall proved unsuccessful. “Darren said it could help.”

“You sit on the damn ball,” Jethro snapped. “Shit, I’m getting another one already.” He cradled his belly and reached for Tony’s hand, feeling his legs begin to quake with the pure force of it.

Ignoring the bark, Tony spoke soothingly, trying to get Jethro to breathe and not fight the pain.

“I’m sorry,” he said breathlessly as he took the sip of cool water Tony offered him a minute later, “just hurts.”

Tony pressed a damp cloth to Jethro’s forehead. “Hey, if growling at me makes you feel better, I can take it. No need to be sorry.” He smiled warmly. “Whatever you need, okay?”

Jethro nodded as his eyes screwed shut. “Okay, this is getting ridiculous,” he managed from between clenched teeth as another pain wrapped around his belly. He’d barely had time to get his breath back this time.

The next hour was hell. Jethro’s contractions were nearly on top of one another and he had very little chance to recover between them. They tried every position imaginable to get him some relief but the pain was unrelenting. Eventually Jethro wound up on the bed on all fours, knees spread wide, muscles trembling with each punishing spasm.

 “Okay, I wanna be done now,” Jethro announced resolutely when his latest contraction eased off enough to allow him to speak. The pain never fully waned anymore but there were valleys between the peaks where he could believe that it might be over eventually. “Can I please be done now?” He raised a heavy head to look at Tony pitifully.

“Just a little more, babe. Just a little while longer and she’ll be here, okay?” Tony was right in front of Gibbs, gripping his hand, talking him through the hardest parts, and wishing with all  he had that there was some way he could ease the other man’s torture. Jethro’s pain-glazed blue eyes virtually pleaded with him to make it stop and yet he saw the firm resolution to continue there too, the foundation of inner strength that Gibbs possessed which could never be shaken.

“Okay,“ he agreed, somewhat reluctantly, “but I’m gonna need you to shoot me if she doesn’t come soon.” Jethro dropped his head down to the waterproof blanket he was kneeling on with an exhausted moan. It smelled far too much of rubber for his liking right now but it was really the least of his concerns. He’d puked up breakfast a half hour ago but was still hideously nauseous-his mouth still tasted of vomit despite rinsing and brushing his teeth-, there wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt, and he was now  seriously afraid he was going to make a mess out of the bed with his next contraction because he suddenly felt like he desperately needed to use the bathroom even though he knew that wasn’t possible at the moment because that part of his system automatically shut down as part of the birth process. He would take a gunshot wound over this any day. Maybe two of them.

Tony glanced at his watch, trying not to alarm Gibbs. Darren had called twenty minutes ago to say that he was stuck behind an accident on the beltline and was trying to find a way around it. DiNozzo knew traffic in DC and knew the likelihood of that was slim to none. All they could do now was wait and hope that their birth assistant made it before their baby did. He understood there had been no way to predict that Jethro’s labor would progress so fast all of a sudden after his water broke, but he would feel a whole lot better having someone around who knew a hell of a lot more about this than he did. Right now he was just trying to stay strong and hold it together for Gibbs’ sake because he could already feel the older man hovering on the edge of panic each time the pain swelled and peaked.

“It’s starting again,” Jethro groaned miserably, pushing himself up onto his hands. The pain was vicious as it held him in its clutches, twisted and tightened and forced the baby inside him ever downward. This time there was a shift deep inside him at the height of the pain and he suddenly understood the sensation he’d been feeling a moment ago. “Oh my God, I can…feel her. She’s coming out.” he panted, suddenly panicky. His body wanted nothing more than to bear down against the pain now and it was all he could do to fight it.

Jethro’s breathless announcement sent Tony’s heart into his throat and when the older man’s groan turned into a strained grunt he understood instantly what was happening. “No! You cannot push, Gibbs. Do you understand me? No pushing until we get reinforcements.” He leapt for his phone and flipped it open with trembling hands.

“Tell that…to her.” The contraction was subsiding now but there was no denying that there was something very solid wedged low in his pelvis that was pushing new parts of him open. “Tony…I need you to check….I need you to check if you can see her. Please…” His legs were shaking uncontrollably now and the pressure inside him was immeasurable.

Tony looked from the phone to Jethro and finally dropped his cell with a curse. Moving around behind Gibbs on the bed, he quickly assessed the situation. He couldn’t see any sign of the baby’s head but Jethro’s hole was wide and loose, clearly ready to expel their child. “I can’t see anything right now, Gibbs. Just please don’t push anymore, okay?”

“Can you feel her?” Another contraction was starting again and he could already feel the need to push returning. He took deep breaths and fought with everything he had but his body was bearing down without his conscious effort. 

“You want me to..?” He wrinkled his nose a little. He’d had his fingers inside of Jethro countless times but this felt different and it freaked him out a little.

“Need to know…if it’s…her head,” Jethro panted brokenly, trying desperately to keep his own head together and focus amidst the crushing pain.

Tony took a deep breath and gave one last longing glance at his phone. At this point it didn’t matter. Either Darren was going to make it or he wasn’t and he didn’t think a phone call was going to make him get there any faster. He climbed up on the bed behind Jethro, gripped the older man’s hip and was suddenly struck by the macabre humor of the entire situation. “Guess it’s this position that got us here in the first place, huh?”

Jethro felt Tony’s hands on him and was reassured by his presence if not his badly timed sense of humor. “Not…now…DiNozzo.” He tensed as the younger man’s fingers penetrated him but really the discomfort of it was nothing compared to the other miseries currently besieging his body.

“Oh my God!” Tony exclaimed, withdrawing the two fingers he had inserted less than an inch into Jethro’s opening. “I feel her! She…she’s like, right there!”

His contraction was fading away now and he felt the need to move, to get into a position where his hips could open up even more and gravity could do its job to help him. “What did you feel?”

Tony was working really hard to process everything that was happening and not panic. “Hair. I felt hair. I can’t believe I just touched her,” he said in awe.

Gibbs nodded. That was a good sign. “Get the first aid kit,” he instructed as he pushed himself up, backed toward the edge of the bed and put his feet on the cool wood of the floor. Tony’s hand around his upper arm steadied him as he stood for a moment to get circulation back into his still-shaking legs.

“Jethro…” They weren’t ready for this. Surely they couldn’t do this alone.

He turned slightly, reached a hand up behind Tony’s neck and pulled him down until their faces were an inch apart. “I’m gonna have this baby now, okay? I can’t stop it. And I need you to help me so please please just… _ohhh_ …” Jethro released Tony and dropped down into a squat beside the bed, resting his upper body against the mattress for support as he held his breath and pushed this time, not even trying to fight it any more.

Something kicked in in Tony’s brain. The part of him that made him a good cop, a good man to have around in a sticky spot, took over and the gently creeping fog of terror cleared from his senses as if a cool breeze had blown it away. He quickly ran to the bathroom closet, got the well-appointed kit that he knew contained a small pair of scissors and alcohol swabs to sterilize them as well as plastic clamps. On his way back in he grabbed two of the blue absorbent pads they had stockpiled and laid them out on the floor beneath Gibbs who was still straining with his current contraction and fisting the sheets with white knuckled fingers. Just as he knelt down to offer support, he heard the chiming of the doorbell followed shortly by Darren’s welcome voice calling out to them from the lower level. “Thank fucking God,” Tony breathed out heavily. “He’s here,” he whispered to Gibbs who was now resting between contractions.

Jethro heard Tony go to the door and call down to Darren but he was so internal right now, so focused on the tremendous forces at work in his own body that he was aware of it only on a very peripheral level. He did sense Darren’s presence in the room a minute later and realized he didn’t give a damn that his naked ass was currently pointed toward the door and on display.

“Looks like someone is in a little bit of a hurry this morning,” Darren said calmly as he quickly moved to Jethro’s side and evaluated him. He immediately began pulling equipment out of his many bags and then slipped on a pair of gloves.

“He’s pushing,” Tony said lamely. “I felt her head.”

“That’s good.” Darren grinned warmly at him with his bright California-surfer smile. “Let me just see what’s going on with you and your baby, okay Jethro? I need you to get down on your knees for me and I need you to do everything you can not to push until I say so, alright? Just blow through this one…deep breaths,” he said as Jethro groaned with the start of another contraction but nodded his understanding.

Tony felt a sense of relief but also the tiniest shred of resentment as Darren deftly took over. He and Gibbs had been inseparably connected through this whole process so far and he felt the loss of that acutely now.

“Tony could you come over and help Jethro? Just help him breathe through this while I make sure everything’s okay with him and the baby.”

Darren took a small machine with what looked like a microphone attached to it out of a bag and held the rounded end of the probe to the bottom of Gibbs’ belly. The staticy and rapid pulse Tony had come to recognize as his daughter’s heartbeat filled the room with its reassuring thump-thump-thump sound and he squeezed Jethro’s hand. “She’s almost here.” He felt the trickle of a hot tear on his cheek and didn’t even bother to swipe it away.

“She is,” Darren confirmed. “Heartbeat sounds great and she feels like she’s in a really good position. And you’re right, Tony, her head is just about to start coming out and we should be able to see it with the next push. You guys ready to have a baby?”

“I’m ready to get her the hell out of me,” Jethro grunted, moving back into the deep squat that felt like the best position to him.

“Go ahead and push when you feel like you need to and try and hold it for as long as you can. You might start to feel a bit of a burn but that’s perfectly normal, just keep bearing down right through it,” the younger man instructed as he laid out several items on the bed and floor around them.

“This is it, Gibbs. Baby time.” Tony picked up a towel and wiped Jethro’s forehead, swept the sweat dampened hair from the side of his face. “I love you so much,” he leaned in and kissed him gently.

“You got her…name…ready for her?” His belly muscles began to harden again and he took a deep breath, following the instincts of his body as he fought to bring his child into the world.

“All set,” Tony assured him over the sound of his wrenching groans. “You just work on getting her here, okay?”

Jethro took a deep breath and pushed again as the contraction continued. He felt movement, felt his body stretching, burning as it tried to widen enough for her head, and while the pain was still just as intense, it felt good to work with it now.

“Don’t let go of it,” Darren encouraged. “Push as long as you can.”

Gibbs pushed again and the burning intensified almost unbearably, he felt like his skin was going to burst open with the pain and pressure of it. “Holy shit…just get her out already…please just get her out.” He wanted to stop pushing but his body was insistent.

“She’s coming out, Jethro. Reach down and feel her if you want to. It’s okay to rest for a minute.”

With a trembling hand, Gibbs reached behind him until Tony gently grasped his wrist and guided him to the right spot. His fingers encountered something hard and rounded and slimy and he gasped in surprise, feeling around the edges of it. “That’s really her?” he asked incredulously, even though logically he knew the answer.

“I need you to push really slowly with the next contraction, okay? Just little pushes until her head is all the way out,” Darren instructed patiently.

Already, Jethro could feel his muscles bunching and tightening in preparation. He did his best to keep control of the strong urge this time, to listen to the calm voice that told him what to do, but the pain was unbelievable and he really just wanted it done with. “I need her out now. Please Tony…oh God,” he groaned as his whole belly compacted with the power of the contraction.

Tony could feel the trembling of Jethro’s muscles, hear the desperation in the pained moans that were far too close to whimpers for his comfort. “You got this, Marine, you hear me?” He kept his voice quiet but firm, right beside Gibbs’ ear. “Just a little more to the top of the hill. Just a little more, Gunny.” Jethro’s grip on his fingers tightened and he could feel the change, feel the older man digging in to his deepest reserves.

Jethro felt a wave of relief flood through him as the burning pain suddenly peaked and then ebbed with his next push.

“Head’s out,” Darren announced as he checked the baby’s neck to make sure the cord was clear. The two younger men helped Jethro carefully change position so that he was supported by Tony’s arms beneath his shoulders with both of them leaning back against the bed. “I need one really big push from you now, Jethro. Just one really big one and she’ll be out.”

Encouraged by this promise, Gibbs took a deep breath and held tight to Tony’s forearms, using every ounce of strength he had to bear down.

Head on Jethro’s shoulder, Tony watched intently as his daughter’s body emerged from her father, slowly at first but then in a sudden rush of arms and legs and fluids that brought a cry of release from Jethro as the older man collapsed back against him and then dropped to the floor while Darren quickly cleared the baby’s nose and mouth.

Gibbs felt the ache in his breast as his daughter’s first cry filled the air around him and she was placed naked and squirming in the center of his chest. Tony’s hands joined his to support her and he looked back in astonishment at the younger man’s tear streaked face. “She’s here,” he said in near disbelief. “I can’t believe she’s actually here.”

“She is.” Tony kissed Jethro gently, gazing down in bewildered awe at the tiny infant who had stopped wailing about her sudden and traumatic entrance into the cold external world and was gazing up at them with bright blue eyes. He felt a rush of emotion more powerful than anything he had ever known as those eyes met his and he immediately understood the indefinable connection between parent and child that had eluded him until this moment.

“What’s her name?” Gibbs ran his hands over every inch of her, checking fingers and toes as she curled into the warm crook of his arm.

“Isabella,” Tony whispered, his mouth suddenly dry. “Isabella Grace DiNozzo-Gibbs. Or Gibbs-DiNozzo. But we can sort that part out later,” he said anxiously. “If you like it, I mean.”

“Isabella,” Jethro tested the name as his infant daughter clutched at his fingers. “What do you think of that, hmm?” She merely yawned and stretched and blinked up at him with eyes not yet adjusted to even the dim light of the room around them. “I think it’s perfect too,” Gibbs said quietly as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Welcome to the world, Bella.”

Tony thrilled as Jethro spoke aloud the name that had lived only in his heart for the last several weeks. “She’s perfect.” He nuzzled into the hollow of Jethro’s shoulder. “A little in need of a bath, maybe but…we made a damn beautiful baby, Jethro. Thank you for this…for her…for letting me…for letting me love you.” The tears were back full force and he didn’t care that Darren was only a few feet away, busily cleaning a few things up and preparing others.

“Thank you for choosing us,” Gibbs said simply, feeling Tony’s arms tighten around him.

As wonderful and intimate as the moment was, there were practical things which needed to be attended to before they could relax. They quickly cut the cord together and Darren helped clean Isabella with a soft cloth and then swaddled her tightly before handing her back to the couple. “If you can get her to nurse, it should help stimulate contractions to expel the afterbirth,” he encouraged.

Suddenly nervous as hell, Jethro pushed himself up a little and gently guided Isabella’s mouth to a swollen nipple, looking helplessly to Darren for support when she didn’t immediately latch on.

“Just stroke her cheek a little and bring her right to it. Some babies need a bit more help than others but she’ll catch on eventually,” he coached patiently.

Gibbs did as instructed and soon felt her little mouth form a tight seal with his skin as she began to suckle instinctively. Her tiny fingers curled against the skin of his chest in contentment. “Holy crap that feels weird.” Jethro didn’t think the sensation was one he would get used to any time soon but he had to admit a certain sense of relief that things seemed to be working as they were supposed to. Darren gave him a few more pointers and he soon felt his now-deflated belly cramping up again. He was relieved to find that they weren’t nearly as painful as his birth contractions and the messy business was soon over.

When Isabella was done with her first feeding and had fallen sound asleep, Tony wriggled out from behind Jethro so that they could finally move off the floor. He leaned down and tried to keep from shaking as Gibbs placed the baby carefully in his arms and he finally got to have her all to himself while Darren helped Jethro into the bathroom to clean up. “Hello, Bella,” he whispered. “Do you remember me?” Tony began to hum one of the many Sinatra tunes that had lulled her to sleep in the womb night after night, not even aware of the insanely goofy grin that was plastered on his face.

* * *

 

A few hours later, both men lay curled up atop the mattress still staring in awe and disbelief at the tiny little human who had come into their lives and turned their worlds upside down. Tony played idly with her little feet, kissed the soft palms of her wrinkled hands. “Is her head supposed to be that pointy?” he asked, after holding the question in for as long as he could.

“It won’t be that way for long,” Jethro reassured him with a chuckle.

He’d suspected this was the answer but was relieved nonetheless. “Oh. Good. Wouldn’t want to have to get her special hats or something.” Tony was silent for a moment. “So, how do you feel?”

“You mean ‘How do I feel after nine hours of labor and pushing an eight pound baby out of me’?” Gibbs grunted.

“Yeah, that. And just…in general.” Even though they had been preparing for seven months, the actual culmination of it into the events of the day still had his head spinning despite his instant and absolute adoration of their new arrival.

“Sore,” Jethro admitted. “And like I just lived the very best day of my life over again.” He would be lying if he didn’t confess that the undeniable elation he felt when he looked at Isabella was tinged with the delicate yet jagged edge of grief. But he could separate the emotions now, could recognize them both for what they were and acknowledge their presence and their necessity in his world without letting them be at war with each other, and that was something new.

Tony could see the mix of emotions playing across Jethro’s features and he gripped the older man’s hand tightly. “She looks like her a little,” he said sadly, understanding Gibbs’ pain. He’d seen pictures of Kelly as a newborn and there were certain similarities that even he couldn’t ignore.

“A little,” Gibbs agreed. “But I think she’s mostly you. Her nose, her mouth…definitely a DiNozzo.” He ran his thumb over Tony’s full and pouty lips and smiled.

“I feel like I just got the best present in the entire world.” He pressed Jethro’s fingertips to his mouth.

“I feel like I just got a second chance,” Gibbs whispered the truth straight from the ache in the middle of his chest.

“Maybe we both did.” Tony wiped a tear from the tip of Jethro’s nose and they contemplated each other in silence for a moment before Tony finally spoke again. “Think I have a long road ahead of me if I ever want to make this one up to you.”

Gibbs hid a yawn behind his hand. It was the middle of the day but he was more exhausted than he could ever remember being in his entire life. “You can start by changing her first diaper while I take a nap.” His eyes were undeniably heavy.

“Think I can handle that one.” Tony lifted Isabella carefully from the nest of pillows between them. He knew Jethro would have to wake up and feed her in another couple of hours and the very least he could do was allow him to rest. But before he left he took a moment to kiss his partner’s mouth lingeringly. There was no demand in the touch, merely an acknowledgement, a simple reverence for which there were no adequate words. “Thank you for giving me a family,” Tony whispered against Jethro’s parted lips. “Thank you.”

 The words didn’t ask for acknowledgement or reciprocity and Jethro gave none now, knowing that Tony understood, knowing that sometimes words were unnecessary, knowing that his tender kiss in return, the swipe of his thumb across Tony’s cheek were far more powerful than any words would ever be between them. Knowing that the passion and love he felt for this man, the powerful and subtle ways in which Tony had written himself gloriously and indelibly into the script of his life were beyond his capacity to verbalize.

Knowing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this story (or if you didn't) I'd love to hear about it and also hear why. Thank you for reading!


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